ASIAN HOTELS AND PROPERTIES PLC AnnuAl RepoRt 2012/13

PASSION sustainability report109 ASIAN HOTELS AND PROPERTIES PLCAnnual Report 2012 /13support crew that provided logisticalassistance for the trip included teachersand a couple of staff members from theSri Lankan Army.• Peter Weerasekara Children’s Home:The hotel donated Rs. 952,694 worthof discarded linen including bed sheets,blankets, pillow covers and towels as wellas Rs. 428,550 worth of new uniforms tothe Peter Weerasekera Children’s Home inButhpitiya. The home provides shelter to82 orphaned and/or abandoned children.• Donation to Nest in Wattala: Nestis a community based mental healthhumanitarian organisation, which is agovernment approved Charity in Wattala.The hotel donated Rs. 241,355 worthof discarded linen including bed sheets,blankets, pillow covers and towels to theorganisation.• The Ceylon Bible Society: The CeylonBible Society held its annual charityfair at the Christian Reformed Churchin Wellawatte with the objective ofraising funds to aid under privilegedcommunities. Cinnamon Grand Colombosponsored the event with cake for therefreshment stall.• St. Ann’s Shrine, Welimada: CinnamonGrand Colombo donated Rs. 320,843worth of discarded linen including bedsheets, blankets, pillow covers andtowels, to the Parish Priest of the St.Anne’s Shrine, in Welimada. The shrinehas nine sub stations and four chapels,consisting of 150 families to whom thelinen was distributed.• Wikramashila Pirivena: CinnamonGrand Colombo supported theeducational needs of the WikramashilaPirivena in Bandaragama which houses50 monks. The student monks werepresented with educational material andfunds to upgrade the facilities in thePirivena. This support continues on amonthly basis, including almsgiving onPoya days.• La- Salian Montessori Project atModara: La- Salian Montessori has 145under privileged students between theages of 3-5 years and six teachers. Theobjective of the La-Salian foundation isto give these underprivileged pre-schoolchildren an opportunity to learn andshine. Most often, the children’s personalprogress is hindered as a result of a lackof financial support and a communitythreatened by drug addiction. CinnamonGrand Colombo donated equipment, asink and a cupboard to the Montessori inan attempt to uplift the children’s learningenvironment. The hotel will undertakerenovation work in the next financial year.• Refurbishment of St. Anthony’sParish Montessori at Mattakale,Thalawakale: Cinnamon Grand’sengineering team, having recognized theneeds of this Montessori, carried out avoluntary renovation project during whichthey cleaned and painted the classroomsand play areas and renovated the ceiling.• Launch of the inaugural Kids ArtCorner at Kala Pola: This year’s KalaPola, Sri Lanka’s largest open art fairheld on the 26th and 27th of January,saw the introduction of a novel initiative;the first ever ‘Kids Art Corner.’ Createdand executed by Cinnamon Grand,in conjunction with the John KeellsCSR Foundation and the George KeytFoundation, the initiative was a tribute tothe talents of budding young artists (aged6-14 years) in Sri Lanka, giving themthe opportunity to exhibit their artisticmasterpieces. The Kids Art Corner hostedthree segments this year, specifically,the Kids Art Exhibition and Sale, Art witha Heart and Paint your Pottery. WithCinnamon Grand Associates volunteeringto coordinate the events for the cause,the Kids Art Corner saw more than 113paintings exhibited and the participationof more than 95 kids at the Potteryworkshop, with all revenue generatedfrom the sales given directly to the artists.The total amount raised for the kids wasRs. 51,500.• Promoting Local Craft: The traditional‘kade’ or village shop based within NugaGama displays and sells Sri Lankan artsand crafts produced by talented andskilled rural craftsmen. Nuga Gama givesthem the opportunity to market theirproduce and gain a sustainable income.Customers are encouraged to purchasethe wares to assist a skilled individualand improve his livelihood. The suppliernetwork for the Nuga Gama kade spansdifferent parts of Sri Lanka includingMatara, Habaraduwa, Ambalangoda,Dankotuwa, Galle, Kandy, Balapitiya,Jaffna and Panadura.• Promoting Sri Lanka’s DanceHeritage: Nuga Gama has informativeand entertaining dances that depict everydayvillage life. The highly accomplishedShilpa Ranga Cultural Dance Troupe, ledby generations of professional dancers,performs dances based on folk tales,myths and beliefs.• Developing Rural Women: Thetraditional ‘Kussiya’ or kitchen at NugaGama, which employs village womento produce authentic Sri Lankan dishesare chosen from village localities that areoften under privileged. While giving these