Sony Ericsson ‘Spread the Smile Charity Campaign’ Raises RM30,000 for HOPE Worldwide

Petaling Jaya, 11 June 2009 – Sony Ericsson today announced that its Spread The Smile Charity Campaign has successfully raised a total of RM30,000 in aid of the children from HOPE Worldwide, an international charitable organisation that delivers sustainable, high-impact, community-based services to the poor and needy.

The Malaysian campaign, which collected 20,000 smiles across the nation, is part of Sony Ericsson’s CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) programme to support the communities in which the company operates. Alex Wong, General Manager of Sony Ericsson Malaysia said: “We hope that through the Sony Ericsson Spread the Smile Charity Campaign, we have helped Malaysians realise how the simple act of smiling can contribute to a greater humanitarian cause. Our Smile Wall is an innovative and heart-warming way to spread smiles across the country, while at the same time contributing to a good cause.”

Speaking at a special event which honoured the children of HOPE Worldwide in 1Utama, Wong added: “Today, we reaffirm our commitment to society with this finale event for the Sony Ericsson Spread the Smile Charity Campaign. We are glad to make this contribution to HOPE Worldwide in support of its efforts to bring hope and change to the lives of needy children and their families.

HOPE worldwide is a non-governmental organisation with representation in over 100 countries around the globe. HOPE Worldwide has been in operation in Kuala Lumpur since 1996 and is dedicated to help change the lifestyle of needy families and their children by empowering them with quality healthcare and education aid through support from a network of volunteers.

Darick Wong, Program Director of HOPE Worldwide said, "Through this CSR initiative, we laud Sony Ericsson's creativity in coming out with this unique fundraising campaign that involved not only its staff but also members of the public to support this charity program. We are grateful to be the recipient of this fund which will eventually be used to support our health and education programs.”

The Sony Ericsson Spread the Smile Charity Campaign, which began on 22 April 2009 was held in collaboration with Sony Malaysia, 1Utama Shopping Centre and Golden Screen Cinemas (GSC). The smiles captured and collected from the public were posted on the giant Smile Wall located in 1Utama Shopping Centre in Bandar Utama, Petaling Jaya.

Throughout the duration of the campaign which concludes today, Sony Ericsson “Smile Squads” toured various hotspots across the nation including Golden Screen Cinemas nationwide, colleges, and 1Utama Shopping Mall to collect smiles from the general public.

For every smile captured, Sony Ericsson donated RM1.00 towards HOPE Worldwide. In addition, Sony Ericsson also sold “Smiles” balloons for RM2.00 and proceeds from the sales forwarded to HOPE Worldwide.