20 PropertyGuru staff and friends shave their heads for cancer
Singapore, 1 September, 2011 — As part of PropertyGuru’s efforts to raise funds for children with cancer, the country's leading property website organised a successful head-shaving event for Hair for Hope (HFH) 2011, in conjunction with the Children’s Cancer Foundation (CCF) and Braddell Heights CC Youth Club.
Held on Wednesday, 31 August, at the Braddell Heights CC Youth Club, the charity drive saw 20 PropertyGuru staff and friends (“Guru Shavees”), including PropertyGuru co-founders Steve Melhuish and Jani Rautiainen, shave their heads as a symbolic gesture representing young patients' fight against cancer. Already, donations pledged in the shavees’ names have reached over S$18,000, far more than the S$15,000 goal set for the 31st.
“We were overwhelmed by people's generosity,” stated Steve Melhuish, Group CEO, PropertyGuru. “Each year, PropertyGuru raises money for charity in order to give a little back to society. I feel very strongly about children’s charities, so when I heard about the great work the CCF were doing, I wanted to help. Through the symbolic gesture of shaving our hair, we hope that the ‘Guru Shavees’ can raise awareness and give moral support to the poor kids with cancer,” he added.
Donations aside, the event also helped to highlight the plight of children suffering from cancer, and showed to children with cancer and their families that they are not alone and that it is okay to be bald. Additionally, it helped to build a community of support for children with cancer and their families.
The CCF needs S$3.5 million a year to support cancer-stricken children and their families. The foundation relies solely on donations as it receives no government aid. As such, all participants aim to offer both financial and moral support by donating and shaving their heads.
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About PropertyGuru
PropertyGuru International (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. is Asia’s
leading property portal group with a presence in eight countries
(directly and via partners). Almost 4 million users view 48 million
property pages on the Company’s websites across South East Asia. The
Company’s revenues tripled in 2010, traffic doubled and agent
subscriptions grew 85%.
PropertyGuru Group was founded in 2006 by two successful entrepreneurs in Singapore and is best known for running www.PropertyGuru.com.sg, Singapore’s leading property site (sources: Hitwise, Alexa and Google). It also runs www.CommercialGuru.com.sg; Singapore’s only dedicated commercial and industrial property portal, as well as www.LoanGuru.com.sg, an online mortgage brokerage with access to over 300 mortgage deals from 23 major local and international banks.
The
Company has picked up a number of industry and government awards over
the last 3 years including “CNBC World’s Best Property Portal 2009”,
“Google Singapore Top 10 Fastest Rising Search Term 2009”, Singapore IT
Federation (SITF) award for “Best E-Enterprise Company 2010”, Singapore
Venture Capital & Private Equity Association (SVCA) award for “Best
Performing VC Backed Company 2010” and voted “Top Digital Media of the
Year 2010” by Marketing Magazine.
