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THE One Jumeirah
Pink Walkathon, November 2012
On the sunny morning of 2 November, 44 staff from our Jumeirah, Outlet, MOE, Fusion, Wafi and BurJuman Theatres came together to participate in Dubai’s ninth annual Pink Walkathon in support of breast cancer awareness. This year’s event attracted 13,000 participants, who gathered in Zabeel Park to walk the 2km route while raising funds for cancer research through their Dhs50 registration fee. The 
fun-filled morning kicked-off with the release of hundreds of pink balloons and entertainment included face painting and live music. Spearheaded by Safe & Sound - BurJuman Centre’s breast cancer awareness programme, the Pink Walkathon is a great cause which our teams think is worth supporting every year… Think pink!Sprucing up a Special Needs School, October - November 2012
After our Jumeirah tribe heard that The Universal Academy of Excellence, a Dubai school in Al Safa for special needs children aged one to nine, was to close down because the owner allegedly fled with all the cash, the team was desperate to help and immediately contacted the new principal Mr Kamal. Surprised by our kind offer of assistance, he said their main priority was to spruce up the villa-turned-school, making it more conducive to learning by creating a fun environment. 
With two of our decorators taking the lead, our mission was to redecorate the classroom used by Year 1 students before school resumed on 4 November. The five-day project involved 19 Onederworkers and two scheduled trips to the school per day to complete the painting, rearranging and tidying up. The teachers and students were very happy with the final results, which feature fun yet soothing murals of a lush green landscape and fluffy clouds in a blue sky, dotted with colourful hot air balloons. Mr Kamal expressed his sincere appreciation on behalf of the school and we are looking forward to helping them redecorate a few more classrooms in the near future.Dubai Goes Pink, October 2012
Our Jumeirah team came up with the idea of selling pink ribbons to staff in support of Breast Cancer Arabia’s Dubai Goes Pink initiative, which aimed to raise breast cancer awareness in the UAE during the month of October. At Dhs10 each, the tribe managed to sell 68 ribbons to their colleagues in Jumeirah, MOE, Fusion, Outlet and THE Office. Along with a few donations, the total amount raised was Dhs725, which will go towards helping women with breast cancer receive vital treatment.Saving Children’s Lives Through Blood Donation, June 2012
When our Jumeirah tribe heard that 40% of all blood donated at Al Wasl Hospital goes to keeping 200 Thalassemia suffers alive, with each child requiring three pints of blood for a transfusion every three weeks, they jumped at the chance to help meet this urgent need for blood. Calling on staff, customers and online fans to join them in their blood drive on 24 June, 93 willing donors turned up at Al Wasl Hospital's mobile blood clinic parked outside the Beach Road store from 9am to 1:30pm. While only 42 qualified to give blood - including 17 home fashion fans and 25 THE One employees - the 42 pints collected can potentially save the lives of 12 children. Here’s to helping raise awareness of the need for more donors in the UAE and making a difference in our local communities!Vocational Training, 1998 onwards
To help integrate young challenged adults into the workplace, our Jumeirah Theatre has been hosting weekly vocational training sessions for students from the Dubai Centre for Special Needs and Rashid Paediatric Therapy Centre since 1998. Under the close supervision of sales staff, they help us price and place products on the shop floor, help out with packing goods at the cash tills and various other tasks. We are happy to add that one of these young adults went on to become THE One's first Challenged Employee in 2002.THE One Local Distribution Centre
K9 Friends Sponsored Dog Walk, December 2012
On 14 December, 20 members of our Dubai Local Distribution Centre participated in the K9 Friends Sponsored Dog Walk, which was held in Jebel Ali’s Industrial Area 2 from 7:30am to 8:30am. Although some of the dogs were a little naughty and tricky to handle, the team thoroughly enjoyed walking and playing with them in and around the park. More importantly, the team raised Dhs500 in sponsorship fees for K9 Friends, which will go towards maintaining the dog kennels. Woof!K9 Friends Garage Sale, December 2012
In an effort to raise funds to assist K9 Friends with their running costs, such as dog food, veterinary fees and kennel maintenance, the Dubai LDC team joined forces with THE Office IT and Purchase Departments to host a Garage Sale for all Head Office and LDC staff on 6 December. Besides loading a three-ton truck full of sale items from K9 Friends and delivering them to THE Office car park, the LDC team helped out with the sale, after which they packed up and loaded all the unsold goods to take them to LDC. Once the LDC staff had been given an opportunity to purchase items, everything that was left over was given away to labourers in the Al Quoz area. While these guys were extremely grateful for the donated items, K9 Friends was just as thrilled to receive the Dhs2,905, which was generated from the Garage Sale. Double bonus!Cleaning the World, November 2012
On 23 November, 30 members of our UAE LDC tribe went to Al Mamzar Beach in Sharjah to take part in the ‘Clean the World’ initiative organized by the Philippine Consulate of Dubai. Sporting their distinctive red THE One shirts, the crew arrived at 7am to register and collect their bags, gloves and event T-shirts before joining over 500 people, including Police and Senior Municipality Officers, to help clean the popular beach. The initiative lasted around two hours and was a great team-building event, with the guys sharing jokes and stories the whole way through - a ‘shore’ way to boost morale and do good at the same time!Bus Repairs for Senses, July 2012
When our Dubai Local Distribution Centre guys heard that the air conditioning of the Senses children’s bus was in need of repair, they gladly agreed to lend a helping hand, fixing it on Saturday, July 14. One of our nifty mechanics Salim was tasked with diagnosing the problem and found that there was no gas in the system due to a cracked compressor and a damaged fan motor. The cost of the repairs should have been Dhs2,800, but as he did the work himself and purchased the parts from his contacts, the team managed to get everything up and running for under half the price at only Dhs1,140. Now the children can chill-out while on the bus during the hot summer months. Super cool job Salim and co.!
THE One Mall of the Emirates
Beach Clean-up, February 2013
On 27 February our Mall of the Emirates tribe organised a beach clean-up to coincide with their monthly Breakfast Bash. After a quick bite to eat and a brief awards ceremony on the public beach in Jumeirah, 25 Onederworkers spent the morning collecting cigarette butts, soda cans, paper cups and other general trash found scattered across the area. After a couple of hours each member had a bag full of rubbish that was disposed of in a nearby skip. With so much litter still left on the beach, the team plans to return, doing their bit to save the planet and hopefully also to encourage any watching litterbugs to clean up their acts.The Rashid Paediatric Therapy Centre Art Shop, November 2012
The Rashid Paediatric Therapy Centre in Dubai aims to provide high quality, integrated education services and therapies for children with special needs. So, when our Mall of the Emirates tribe heard that the centre needed a dedicated area within their school to display and sell the students’ artworks, they leapt into action. Working after hours 
throughout the month of November, seven members from the Deco and Sales teams transformed an ordinary room into a stylish art shop by painting and wallpapering, fitting display shelves and hanging pictures THE One way. Now the students have an exhibition area worthy of their creative work, which will hopefully encourage sales and inspire them to push their artistic limits. Find out how you can help at www.rashidc.aeVocational Training, 2006 onwards
Since February 2006, four girls from the Rashid Paediatric Therapy Centre spend 2 hours in our store every Tuesday. They are taken care of by a salesperson who provides them with various tasks, for example flower-pricing, filing and bed linen folding. This gives them an opportunity to interact with the staff while doing meaningful work and is highly appreciated by not only the girls, but by the staff as well. Find out how you can help at www.rashidc.aeTHE Office
K9 Friends Book Sale and Games Fundraiser, March 2013
On 7 March, the Finance Department organized a Book Sale and Games event from 12-2pm in THE Office car park in support of K9 Friends. At a cost of Dhs10 for four games, THE Office staff spent their entire lunch break having fun throwing balls at stacked cans and plastic knives into halved watermelons, playing coin toss and shooting hoops, while shopping for a good read in between. In the end Dhs587 was raised for a very good cause.Hatta Pools Eco Mission, February 2013
When our Head Office Talent department learnt from a colleague what a state one of the UAE’s most beautiful nature spots is currently in due to day-tripping litterbugs, they decided to do something about it. On 20 February the team of eight headed to the Hatta Rock Pools for a serious clean-up mission. Proudly wearing their Grime Fighting T-shirts and armed with their litter pickers, they rolled up their sleeves, collecting everything from plastic bags and glass bottles to used diapers and even goat carcasses left over from barbecues! After 6 hours of dirty work their mission was completed with a total of 30 large bags of rubbish being taken away from the popular site and disposed of properly with the help of Hatta Municipality. Proud of returning this picturesque setting with its clear spring-fed pools to its former glory, the team hopes that this event will encourage environmental awareness and cross-border collaboration between the municipalities of Oman and the UAE in order to eradicate the litter problem.Housie Bingo for DAC, January 2013
Following the success of their June 2012 game session in support of the Dubai Autism Centre, our Purchasing Department arranged another Housie Bingo event for THE Office staff on 31 January. This time the team raised Dhs1,100 which they used to purchase more educational and training material for the centre’s students. This included paint, a globe for the classroom, musical toys, clay, an exercise ball and more, which eight of our Onederworkers handed over to the centre on 14 May. Find out how you can help at www.dubaiautismcenter.aeK9 Friends Book Sale and Games Fundraiser, January 2013
On 10 January, the Supply Chain Department organised a Book Sale and Games event from 12-2pm in THE Office car park, which included all sorts of fun activities at a cost of Dhs5 per game or three games for Dhs10 in support of K9 Friends. By enticing staff to play their crazy games, such as coin toss, kicking a ball through a tyre, pin the tail on the elephant and throwing balls at stacked cans, as well as selling books and doormats at Dhs5 a piece, the team managed to raise a whopping Dhs1,207 for the non-profit organization. Good job guys and girls - all in a lunch break’s work!Ops’ Festive Raffle Bonanza, December 2012
To get everyone into the Christmas spirit while raising money for THE Lifesaver Staff Welfare Fund, the Operations Department organised a Festive Eats and Treats Raffle, which took place on 18 December in THE Office conference room. Thanks mostly to kind donations from our Restaurant suppliers there were more than 50 great prizes up for grabs, including meat vouchers, frozen turkeys, smoked salmon, Carrefour gift cards, fruits baskets, Christmas cakes and crackers, assorted chocolate packs and more. Since they stood a good chance of winning, staff rushed to buy tickets at Dhs5 each. Part of the initiative included a special Christmas Country Draw, which involved staff guessing where Santa might land his sleigh and purchasing that country name for Dhs20. In the end, a grand total of Dhs2,315 was raised and a merry time had by all!Saving THE Planet, October 2012
As our Socially Responsible Investment initiative for October, the Marketing Department called on THE Office tribe to help Save THE Planet by focusing on reducing water, electricity and paper consumption at work in addition to bringing all their unwanted wastepaper, PET plastic containers, plastic bags and aluminium cans from home for recycling. With the aim of decreasing THE Office's Dewa bill by 10%, staff were urged to become more mindful of their daily actions, such as saving electricity by switching off lights and air conditioners when not needed and conserving water when washing their hands or dishes. To encourage participation and maintain momentum throughout the Save THE Planet drive, stickers with humorous lines were placed all around THE Office as inspiring reminders. In the end, it was impossible to count the number of cans, bottles and plastic bags collected as they added up to a small mountain, but the total amount of paper recycled was an amazing 343kg. As for the bill, we managed to reduce our water and electricity consumption by 9.81% resulting in a whopping Dhs2,074 saving. Now the emphasis is on maintaining all these good habits; recycling what we can and saving water, electricity and paper. It can only do the planet - and us - a world of good!Recycling Print Cartridges, September 2012 ongoing
In a bid to save our planet, THE Office’s IT Department initiated the recycling of empty print cartridges in September 2012, ensuring that less of our e-waste ends up in local landfills. Our UAE stores jumped at the chance to participate in this eco-friendly initiative by also sending their empty print cartridges to THE Office. A recycling company, Industry RE, regularly collects the goods and supplies us with a certificate stating our latest recycling quantities, which has proved to be a great motivator for staff. Collectively so far, we have recycled 28 print cartridges. Here’s to a greener outlook!IT's Raffle for Good, August 2012
As part of THE Office’s Local Volunteering programme, the IT Department raffled off five full desktop kits in August, with proceeds split equally between THE Onederworld – our Sustainable Village Community Programme and our staff welfare fund. To include all UAE employees and give everyone a fair chance of winning, one desktop PC (monitor, keyboard, mouse and CPU) was up for grabs at THE Office, while the other kits were each allocated to one of four store teams. Raffle tickets were sold at Dhs5 each with special bulk deals of Dhs10 for three and Dhs15 for five, encouraging people to participate to raise as much money as possible. Five thrilled winners later, a grand total of Dhs3,070 was collected for these two worthy causes, with Abu Dhabi selling the most tickets. Here's to doing even more good and in more ways that one!Housie Bingo for DAC, June 2012
As part of THE Office’s Local Volunteering programme, our Purchasing Department chose to raise money for the Dubai Autism Centre in June. In order to promote understanding of the disorder, they delivered a short presentation and handed out leaflets, in addition to organizing Housie Bingo games and selling Autism awareness wristbands, with all proceeds going towards buying educational and training materials for the centre’s students. Autism is a brain disorder that often makes it hard to communicate with and relate to others. Children may be diagnosed anywhere from mild to severe, but early diagnosis and treatment can often help Autism sufferers reach their full potential. Rallying to support this cause, all THE Office members bought wristbands as well as Bingo tickets and while the games went down a treat, the reward was even sweeter with over Dhs3,000 raised for the centre – fun in the name of a good cause! Find out how you can help at www.dubaiautismcenter.aeCare Packs for Dubai’s Municipality Workers, May 2012
THE Office’s Supply Chain Department came up with two ideas to raise money for their May Local Volunteering initiative, which involved creating care packs for the Dubai Municipality workers who clean up our neighbourhood. One idea was that the team would tidy up staff’s computer cables for just Dhs25 per desk, while the City Draw idea gave everyone who entered an opportunity to win some money back. Every draw raffled off 49 cities at a bargain price of Dhs10 each, with the first city drawn earning the winner Dhs120, the second city Dhs80 and the third Dhs40. More importantly, the remaining Dhs250 went towards the care pack kitty. In total, Dhs3,000 was raised and 48 care packs created, with each pack containing shaving cream, razors, face towels, Panadol, toothpaste and a toothbrush as well as a Dhs25 telephone card. Handed out to road sweepers, dustbin men and gardeners in June, the care packs put a huge smile on their faces and hopefully also on the faces of their family members back home when they used their phone cards to make those all important calls.THE Mukesh Appeal, March - April 2012
Mukesh joined THE One family as a Sales Consultant on 2 November 2008. Unfortunately, just three years later he was diagnosed with kidney failure and resigned to go back to Nepal for treatment. Lucky for Mukesh, tests showed that his mother - willing to donate one of her kidneys to save her son’s life - was a match and he went onto the government hospital’s operation waiting list in November 2011. As the hospital only conducts one transplant per week, Mukesh had to visit the hospital three times a week for dialysis until his scheduled operation on 8 April 2012. Meanwhile, his wife and brother took the difficult decision to remain in the UAE to continue working in order to send money home to fund these expensive treatments.Realising that Mukesh’s family was unable to cover the mounting medical expenses, his Sales Manager initiated a collection among all the UAE store staff and managed to raise Dhs6,000 for his dialyses. Inspired by this great cause, the HR Department decided to raise additional funds to assist with paying for Mukesh’s kidney transplant. Thankfully, one of our suppliers jumped on board, donating an iPad as a raffle draw prize, while another offered to print the ticket books free of charge. Raffle tickets were sold at Dhs10 each with the draw set for 8 April 2012 - Mukesh’s operation date. Staff from THE Office and all our UAE stores feverishly bought tickets and sold as many as possible to family and friends with astonishing results. A total of Dhs24,000 was raised, which covered the cost of both his and his mother’s operations, with some money to spare for follow-up medication.
The only request Mukesh made when he left THE One was that he could return to his job once he had undergone the transplant and fully recovered. Sadly his body rejected the kidney and Mukesh is back on the waiting list. His colleagues are hoping to welcome him back with open arms soon.
THE Office Backyard Sale, March 2012
Kalimati Speech and Communication Centre is a non-governmental, UAE-based organization that specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of hearing-impaired children. Charging nominal fees and taking on numerous pro bono cases, the centre relies heavily on donations to cover equipment and operational costs. In an effort to raise money for Kalimati, THE Office’s Marketing Department organised an internal Backyard Sale on March 1, giving staff the opportunity to get rid of their unwanted 
GOOD stuff for GOOD. Little did they know what success awaited them... Every department organised an activity to contribute to the festivities and proceeds, turning the event into a tremendous team-building festival of games, food, music and fabulous finds! Thanks to everyone’s support, the team raised a grand total of Dhs7,000, which Kalimati will use to fund speech therapy sessions for children whose families cannot afford them. Find out how you can help at www.kalimati.orgSenses Donation Drive, February 2012
Senses is home to more than 70 children and young people aged three and up, with issues that range from mild autism through to severe cerebral palsy. A Dubai-based residential and day care centre for children with special needs, it relies heavily on donations from the public and support from companies to ensure its survival. Taking this to heart, THE Office’s Accounts Department donated a big batch of goodies to the non-profit organisation on the 7th of February. While this included a TV, Dhs1,000 
Gift Card valid at THE One Fusion and other items from the company apartment, our IT team also pitched in by helping repair Senses’ broken computers. The executive manager of the centre, Dr. Lena Owies, expressed her sincere gratitude for all our contributions. To donate or learn more about the centre please contact Senses on 04 4572675.Get your Goat Insurance, February 2012
To raise money for Dubai Autism Centre, THE Office’s Deco Department came up with a novel idea that involved a goat roaming the planet. Borrowed from Thomas’ partner’s farm, a real live goat spent a few days in THE Office garden before everyone was informed that they had automatically been entered into a draw to win him! For those who did not wish to win a goat (which would apparently make a good pet seeing as it was ‘too old to eat’), our Deco team sold Goat insurance at Dhs5. However, this was invalid if it rained on the day of the draw, so to get full coverage one had to buy rain insurance at an additional Dhs5, with all proceeds going to Dubai Autism Centre. In the following weeks, staff received photos of our travelling goat in Goa, Bali, Sweden etc. On February 5, Deco informed all that our goat was enjoying his travels so much that he decided not to return, but sent an inflatable replacement. While a draw from those who did not have insurance revealed Thomas’ driver as the winner of the blow-up goat, a second draw from all those insured landed a lucky staff member a meal for two at THE One Deli. Deco then explained that the centre had expressed a need for two CCTV cameras. While enough money had been raised to purchase one, our IT manager explained the cause to the supplier, who generously donated a second camera. Find out how you can help at www.dubaiautismcenter.aeTHE One Outlet
Children’s Hope Foundation Annual Party, March 2013
The Children's Hope Foundation (CHF) provides medical, educational and leisure facilities for children suffering from illness, disability or poverty, wherever and whenever they occur. On 9 March, six Onederworkers from THE One Outlet Tribe attended the annual party of the Children's Hope Foundation for the third consecutive year. Yet again, the team had a great time interacting with the children while overseeing various gaming stations, such as the water bucket, world map and fishing games. The genuine smiles and laughter of the kids is something that the tribe will cherish and remember for a long time, so much so that they are looking forward to sharing another wonderful afternoon with CHF next year. Find out how you can help make a difference at www.chfdubai.orgJumeirah Beach Clean-up, February 2013
In order to raise eco awareness and promote greener living habits in the community, six members of THE One Outlet Tribe spent an hour cleaning up the public beach in Jumeirah on 21 February. During their initiative the team was approached by an impressed Municipal Supervisor, who thanked and applauded them for their efforts. Proudly carrying THE One flag with them as they worked, they were also recognised by a few of our customers who were out for a jog and took the time to show their appreciation. Our Onederworkers may not have been able to clean the entire beach, but they certainly made an impact and created interest, which will hopefully make people think twice before trashing it.Special Needs Families Volunteering Initiative, October 2012 onwards
Special Needs Families (SNF) is a Dubai-based group who aims to help children with special needs and their families receive the resources, love, hope, respect, healthcare and education they need to reach their full potential, by providing strong family support, dedicated professionals and a responsive system to serve them.Taking these aims to heart, our Outlet and Jumeirah tribes joined forces to support SNF through volunteering, with two staff members (one from each store), visiting the group’s Future Development Centre every Tuesday from 8:30am to 10:00am. Kicking off this feel-good initiative and leading by example on October 16, was our Outlet Store Manager and Jumeirah Sales Supervisor, who spent some time helping out in the Arts and Crafts room. While assisting the young adults with drawing shapes and colouring in their artworks, they also provided some much needed encouragement and support. Since then, this wonderfully heart-warming initiative has been repeated weekly by other tribe members and is greatly appreciated by the SNF group. Find out how you can get involved at www.snfgroup.com
Ramadan Care Packages Night, August 2012
Founded by Saher Shaikh, Adopt-a-Camp (AAC) is an initiative that is aimed at improving the lives of the men who build the beautiful cities in which we live. In conjunction with Dubai Chamber of Commerce, ACC organised a Ramadan Care Packages Night on August 9 which saw thousands of volunteers from all over Dubai rally to put together 5,050 care packs for labourers. Taking part in this wonderful event held at Dubai World Trade Centre were 36 of our staff; 10 from THE One Outlet and the rest from our MOE, BurJuman, Jumeirah and THE Office tribes. Wearing their signature red T-shirts, our team was in high spirits throughout the evening; smiling, laughing and egging everyone on to pack the boxes faster so that they could be delivered to the workers as early as possible. After an hour or so of hard work and with four trucks already loaded, an announcement was made that 5,000 Care Packages had been completed - 1,800 more than last year. Our ‘Onederworkers’ thoroughly enjoyed the night and said the feeling of togetherness was something they will remember forever. Over 10,000 labourers benefitted from this amazing initiative, which was driven by a tremendous wave of goodwill, kindness and hard work. If you would like to volunteer then visit www.adoptacamp.aeIftar Packs for Fasting Mall Staff, July 2012
To celebrate Ramadan’s spirit of giving, our Outlet tribe decided to be the first store ever to supply Iftar food packs to the fasting staff of Dubai Outlet Mall. Thanks to the generous donations from our Outlet employees, enough funds were raised to create 50 packs, which were handed out to the mall’s cleaning and maintenance teams as well as freelance delivery drivers and car washers on 31 July. Our Onederworkers aim to make this an annual event and hope it will inspire other stores to do the same.Children's Hope Foundation Annual Party, January 2012
Recalling what fun they had volunteering at last year’s CHF Annual Party, nine cast members from THE One Outlet jumped at the chance to help out again at this year’s party, held on January 28 in Al Barsha, Dubai. Tasked with assisting at three of the games tables, which included ceramic painting, ring toss and a water bucket game, the team was able to interact and play with the kids. Even though many of them cannot talk, the children are multitalented and very artistic, inspiring our staff with their impressive skills and joyful expressions. Our ‘Onederworkers’ said it was a great experience that they would never forget. Find out how you can help make a difference at www.chfdubai.orgTHE One Wafi
Terry Fox Run, April 2012
Initiated by our Wafi ‘Onederworkers’, 40 of THE One staff from various Dubai-based Theatres and our Local Distribution Centre gathered on April 27 to participate in the annual Dubai Terry Fox Run, supporting the world’s largest fund-raising campaign for cancer research. After registering and proudly buying their Terry Fox Run T-shirts to further support the cause, everyone eagerly took part in the warm-up session before negotiating the 9km route on The Palm Jumeirah. Even though some team members did not finish the entire course, they all thoroughly enjoyed the experience and aim to make it a regular event in their SRI calendars. In its 18 years, the Dubai Terry Fox Run has successfully funded 16 cancer research projects with the UAE University and more recently eight new projects, which will continue to impact the lives of UAE patients and their families. Find out more at www.terryfoxrun.org
