SM Foundation: Creating ripples of social good – BusinessWorld Online

SM Foundation (SMFI), the corporate social responsibility arm of the SM group, underscores how the power of doing social good, even to a single beneficiary, creates a ripple effect wherein more Filipinos can benefit from.

Since its establishment in 1983, SM Foundation’s wide array of programs has generated positive impacts to its host areas — uplifting the lives especially of those living in grassroots communities. SMFI shares some of its beneficiaries, who are now spreading social good themselves in their own unique way.

Creating work opportunities

A 2010 SM scholar graduate, Darmae Tan, who finished a computer science degree from the University of the Philippines-Cebu, is now managing her own software development company, MYT SoftDev Solutions, Inc. and her latest venture, ErrandBoy.PH.

ErrandBoy.PH provides on-demand help such as courier service, purchase service and bills payment service for people who are either too busy or have limited mobility because of the government-imposed restrictions to contain the spread of COVID-19. The first employees Ms. Tan hired for her new company were displaced workers, mostly from the hospitality industries, affected by the pandemic. Ms. Tan envisions ErrandBoy.PH as a tool in helping people have time for more important things in life like time for their families.

“This is exactly how SM Foundation helped me. Aside from the financial help that they extended for my college education, they also helped me develop myself and figure out what I wanted my future to be like — which is to extend a helping hand to others and spread social good,” Ms. Tan said.

“Not everyone is given the same opportunity, and I am very grateful to SMFI not only for the chance to have a quality college education but also for providing me with learning opportunities through various enrichment activities when I was still a scholar,” Ms. Tan further added.

Sharing his knowledge on farming

Another SMFI beneficiary under its Kabalikat Sa Kabuhayan (KSK) on Sustainable Agriculture, who now shares his knowledge on farming to his community, is Jeffrey Toleran of Davao Cty. He is a High School Teacher at Emilio Ramos National High School designated as Gulayan Sa Paaralan Coordinator. With just a little knowledge on farming, Mr. Toleran exerted efforts to equip himself with the skillsets needed to run their school’s gardening initiative — that’s when he joined SMFI’s KSK training program under Batch 211 in 2019.

With what he has cemented in their school in terms of their Gulayan sa Paaralan project, it’s no surprise that Teacher Toleran was recognized not just at the school level but also on the regional level. While continuing what he has started at their school, he also expanded his platform and established the Barangay Angliongto Organic Practitioner Association (BAOPA) in his community.

“Ang BAOPA ay naglalayong makatulong sa ibang tao na mabigyan ng ideya sa pagtatanim at mahikayat na gawin ang home gardening na maaari nilang pagkunan ng pagkain para sa kanilang hapag-kainan. Ang BAOPA ngayon ay rehistrado sa City Agriculture ng Davao City. Natutuwa ako na makitang hindi na ako nag-iisa sa pagtupad ng aking mga layunin. Mula sa ‘ako’, ngayon ay naging ‘kami’ na dahil sa asosasyong ito,” he concluded.

The stories of Darmae and Jeffrey are just a few among the thousands of SMFI beneficiaries, who are now making their own way to help others — fully embracing SMFI’s principle of people helping people.

To know more about the various social development impacts and social good stories of SM Foundation, read and download 2021 SMFI Primer: https://bit.ly/3xp7Z0u.

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