Diageo will fund 'dreams'

Diageo Plc, a leading premium drinks business, introduced the Keep Walking Fund in Beijing last month to support individuals who are pursuing their dreams to help others.

The London-based company will provide financial support and professional training to participants in the six-month "Powering your Dream" campaign, under way through May.

Competitions will be held in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu. All Chinese residents over 18 can register online for the competition at the official campaign website at www.KeepWalkingFund.com.cn.

The company has invited experts from various social sectors to form a panel of judges to evaluate entries based on the impact, foresight, feasibility and sustainability of proposed social service projects, as well as the practical experience of applicants. The five winners will share a 1 million yuan award to fund their projects.

The prize will be allocated in line with the financial needs of the winning projects. Diageo will supervise the winners to ensure their plans are implemented efficiently, the company said.

"Dreams are beautiful, and realizing our dreams allows us to embrace a better life," said Kenneth Macpherson, executive managing director of Diageo Greater China.

"Through the campaign, we hope to encourage more people to realize their dreams through perseverance and unremitting effort. Our broader objective is to help nurture a positive social atmosphere that values sharing, contribution and resilience in the face of difficulties," Macpherson said.

The corporate social responsibility (CSR) campaign will focus on those who care for and protect socially marginalized groups within society, as well as other projects that help the larger community, according to the company.

The selected projects will focus on areas such as education, environment and ecology, healthcare, caring for the disadvantaged, public services, and arts and cultural heritage protection.

One of the panel judges, Gao Xiaosong, a renowned Chinese musician, said the prize goes to dreamers instead of those who only want to help themselves.

Before creating the program, Diageo conducted a national online survey on "dreams" receiving more than 2,000 responses.

The results showed that more than 90 percent of the respondents had personal dreams - dreams not simply about themselves or their families, but also focusing on helping special social groups.

More than 60 percent said they believed the "courage to transform dreams into reality" is the most important factor to build dreams. More than half cited "insufficient funds" or an "inability to execute" a project as the biggest challenges hindering their success.

"From the results of the survey, it is clear that the launch of the Keep Walking Fund will have a real practical significance and impact," said Lu Haiqing, corporate relations director for Diageo Greater China.

Diageo has scheduled road shows across the country through January. The campaign will culminate with the awards ceremony to be held in May 2010 in Shanghai.

"For Diageo, social responsibility is central to our mission and core values as a business. We firmly believe in doing the right thing at the right time to benefit society," Lu said.

In March, Diageo helped rebuild water supply systems at Longxi-Longkou, Baishuihe, Wolong and Baodinggou National Nature Reserves in Sichuan that had been destroyed by last year's Wenchuan earthquake.

The project diverted water from sources higher in the mountains to families and plants downstream by reconstructing 18.5 km of water pipes and 20 cisterns.

Diageo also invited experts to train the residents, promoting educational programs on upstream water resource protection, conservation, and the science and technologies needed for sustainable development of local kiwi fruit plantations.

(China Daily 12/14/2009 page10)