SINGAPORE, 25 April 2017 – SINGAPORE’S only humanitarian-themed charity run, Ground Zero Run for Humanity is back for its third edition on 13 August 2017, with a new title sponsor, The Hour Glass. Organised by Mercy Relief, the event at Casuarina Grove, East Coast Park, challenges participants with the simulated experience of a survivor’s journey from ground zero to collect urgent supplies needed in the immediate aftermath of a disaster.
Speaking at the event launch, Group Managing Director Mr. Michael Tay said, “We have dedicated over 37 years to supporting meaningful causes locally. For this year, The Hour Glass aims to reach and empower communities affected by disasters in the region. Mercy Relief engages with survivors in programmes that help with capacity building after a disaster strikes, and it was a special personal experience for me, when I volunteered during the 2015 Nepal Earthquake response operations. It has definitely brought a greater appreciation of the role that we can play in this region. We are fortunate not to face these catastrophes, so we are committed to supporting these people displaced by disasters, in ways that we can.”
Mercy Relief has also secured partnerships with other like-minded organisations and businesses including The Food Bank Singapore and Sealed Air. Through the partnership with The Food Bank Singapore, Ground Zero Run for Humanity is introducing healthy food bundles, where participants can make a small donation so that beneficiaries in Singapore can be provided with healthier, more nutritious food items. In addition to this, rice supplies collected from the non-competitive 5km Relief Aid Challenge will be distributed to the various beneficiaries after the event. Participants can even look forward to the mobile food pantry that will be stationed on event day, providing consumable food that is close to expiry date in efforts to reduce food wastage.
Participants will also receive a unique and sustainable Mercy Relief tote bag, in support of Sealed Air’s initiative, Linens For Life™. The initiative provides livelihood opportunities and training to disaster survivors, educating them on income generating skills like converting linens discarded by hotels into useful items.
Executive Director at Mercy Relief, Zhang Tingjun said, “ We are grateful for the support of The Hour Glass. In this year’s Ground Zero Run For Humanity, our corporate partners play such an important part in adding to Mercy Relief’s resource capacity and network. We are proud to have on board with us, various partners who share our core objectives in helping to foster more resilient communities across Asia. As the number of natural disasters in the region increases and our programmes are implemented with a longer-term engagement, their support has become even more important to make a lasting impact on the world we all share.”
The unique experiential running event will also see an expansion of one of its popular categories – the 500m Dash For Humanity has now returned as the 1km Dash For Humanity. In this category, teams made up of children aged 3 to 12 and their parents are tasked to run to the finish line carrying a relief pack weighing approximately 1kg. The third category, the competitive 10km Race Against Time, returns, this time with prizes for both the men and women’s category.
Registration for Ground Zero Run for Humanity Presented By: The Hour Glass is now open. For details, visit: www.groundzerorun.com
About The Hour Glass
Established in 1979, The Hour Glass is one of Asia’s premier luxury retail groups with 41 boutiques in nine key cities throughout the Asia Pacific region. The Hour Glass prides itself as the world’s leading cultural retail enterprise; pioneering the promotion and appreciation of contemporary luxury and horological culture. Having been recognised by international publications such as Monocle, Wallpaper and Vanity Fair as one of the most influential specialty retailers in the world, The Hour Glass has been accorded the ‘Best Watch Retail’ honours by Singapore Tatler in 2014.
The Hour Glass has achieved international acclaim in the industry for its approach towards redefining specialty watch retail which includes the creation of thematic salons and placing an emphasis on developing consumer oriented cultural engagement platforms to promote the values of authentic luxury. L’Atelier, a boutique dedicated to expressing the patrimony of traditional watchmaking; and Malmaison, a first multi-category luxury emporium in its stable to retail the finest and carefully curated collections in horology, sartorial tailoring, fragrances and leather goods – were bestowed the ‘Best Retail Concept of the Year’ award by Singapore Retailers Association in 2010 and 2011 respectively. Malmaison lauded for its unique and differentiated shopping experience, bagged the highly coveted ‘Best Shopping Experience’ award by Singapore Tourism Board in 2012. L’Atelier and Malmaison were also awarded ‘Most Innovative Retail Concept of the Year’ by the Federation of Asia-Pacific Retail Associations (FAPRA) in 2010 and 2013 respectively.
Visit www.thehourglass.com
About Mercy Relief
Headquartered in Singapore, Mercy Relief was established in 2003 to respond to human tragedies and disasters in Asia Pacific. Today, we are Singapore’s leading independent disaster relief agency with dedicated leadership, capacity building expertise and an affiliate network operating across the entire disaster management cycle. Mercy Relief provides emergency aid within 72 hours of an appeal in the aftermath of a disaster.
Our longer-term sustainable development projects aim to uplift and empower communities in five key areas: water and sanitation, shelter, sustainable livelihoods, healthcare and education. For the past decade, Mercy Relief has responded to more than 56 human tragedies with more than $32.5 million in relief across 24 countries. We have implemented more than 50 sustainable development initiatives and impacted an aggregate of over 2 million lives.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Nigel Low
Black Dot
+65 9837 4256
nigel@blackdot.sg
