THE One Jumeirah

Blood Donation Drive, November 2011

Together with Al Wasl Hospital's Dubai Blood Donation Centre, THE One Jumeirah Theatre organised yet another blood donation drive on 29 November to help raise awareness of the need for more donors in the UAE. This time around 43 people - including 19 home fashion fans and 24 staff members from our Head Office and Jumeirah Theatre - parted with their precious blood, potentially saving over 120 lives. The mobile blood donation clinic was parked outside our Beach Road store and our Jumeirah tribe hopes that this initiative will become a regular event that attracts many more donors. Here's to Changing the World Together.

 

Blood Drive, July 2011

On 25 July, 32 staff members from our Head Office and Jumeirah Theatre were joined by 22 home fashion fans in giving blood at Al Wasl Hospital's mobile blood clinic parked outside our Beach Road store. Not only did we help raise awareness of the need for more donors in the UAE by organising this 'onederful' initiative, but more importantly, the 54 pints of blood collected can save as many as 162 lives. Here's to Changing the World Together!

 

Food Packs for Jumeirah Construction Workers, May 2011 Ongoing

Heigh-Ho, Heigh-Ho, it's off to work we go… In a bid to offer local labourers some respite from the hot summer months, our Jumeirah tribe is creating food packs for them with the profits raised from our in-store tuck-shop sales. All products are marked up by no more than a dirham to generate funds for this worthy cause that sees construction workers receiving a variety of healthy goodies, including a selection of fruits, glucose biscuits, a bottle of water and laban.

 

Blood Drive, May 2011

Thirteen Jumeirah tribe members visited the Dubai Blood Donation Centre (DBDC) to give blood on May 17. With DBDC being the only blood supplier in Dubai and collecting 50% of the total blood donated throughout the UAE (according to 2009 statistics), their efforts will go a long way in saving many lives.

 

Funday Sunday at Ski Dubai, May 2011

Volunteering your time to assist with any good cause is the most rewarding way to give back to your local community. So, it is no wonder that two of our Jumeirah staff teamed up with Volunteer in Dubai to help take care of students from the Dubai Centre for Special Needs (one of THE One Jumeirah's supported causes) during an outing to Ski Dubai on May 15. If you would like to volunteer, check out www.volunteerindubai.com

 

Beach Clean Up, April and May 2011

Inspired by their participation in Volunteer in Dubai's Jumeirah beach clean up in April, which included help from our Wafi members and resulted in over 80,000 cigarette ends being picked up, the Jumeirah tribe decided to repeat the experience on May 14 by helping cleaners at their local beach collect litter and cigarette butts. If you would like
to volunteer, check out www.volunteerindubai.com for the next event or if you are a smoker, then please be responsible and use the garbage bins provided!

 

 

DCSN Summer Concert Prep, April 2011

On Tuesday, April 26, our Jumeirah Decoration team visited the Dubai Centre for Special Needs to help the students make giant butterflies, sunbeams and all sorts of amazing backdrops for the centre's spectacular summer concert. Not only was it a lot of fun, but a rewarding experience for all who participated. Encore please! Find out how you can help at www.dcsneeds.ae

 

Free the Turtles, April 2011

To celebrate World Turtle Day on 11 April, a couple of our Jumeirah Decoration team members joined the Emirates Marine Environment Group in helping release turtles back into their natural environment. Find out how you can help raise awareness and interest for the plight of marine turtles at www.emeg.ae

 

Culinary Training for budding Special Needs Chefs, April 2011

As part of our SRI programme and 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 (DCSN) since 1998. During one of their recent visits, Head Chef Golbert Coutinho took the initiative to approach the DCSN teacher with a suggestion to extend the vocational training programme to THE One Deli. When students Nazeer and Rowena expressed a hearty interest in learning how to prepare and serve food, two events were planned for the last two Saturdays in April. Relishing the opportunity to show off their newly acquired skills in front of our Deli fans (under Golbert's close supervision), they whipped up some delicious sandwiches and salads for our customers to sample for free. These included Roast Chicken and Beetroot Wraps as well as Roasted Root Vegetable Salad with Feta and Pine Nuts. Nazeer and Rowena's dishes were very well received and both staff and customers enjoyed the upbeat experience. Meanwhile, the students' paintings were also on sale for home fashion fans to snap up, with all proceeds going to the centre. THE Deli team hopes to host more of these vocational training days in the near future. Find out how you can help at www.dcsneeds.ae

 

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

Cleaning Cars for a Cause, October 2011

Our LDC team decided to wash cars at THE Office on October 13 to raise money for one of their chosen causes, Senses - a private, non-profit organization that provides care and support for over 50 children with special needs in Dubai. Eighteen 'Onederworkers' washed, vacuumed and polished 30 cars and one motorbike for a minimum charge of Dhs20 each. With a few generous donations to boot, a grand total of Dhs1,245 was raised, which was used to buy food and medicine for the children at the centre. If you would like to support Senses, please contact them on +971 4 3948765.

 

THE One Mall of the Emirates

Monthly Metro Day, April 2011

In line with THE One's mission to become more environmentally responsible, our Mall of the Emirates (MOE) tribe initiated a Dubai Metro Day on April 25 with 13 staff participating. Here's to THE One MOE reducing their carbon footprints and helping keep the planet green by going the extra mile (on the Metro)!

 

Beach Clean Up, May 2011

Our Mall of the Emirates tribe organised a beach clean up to coincide with their very first monthly Breakfast Bash on May 1. Joined by the BurJuman team, around 30 'Onederworkers' spent the morning collecting cigarette butts and general trash, doing their bit to help save the planet before tucking into 'brekkie'.

 

Vocational 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.ae/en.htm

 

THE Office

KIVA Initiative, March 2008 – January 2012

KIVA is the world's first person-to-person micro-lending website, empowering individuals to lend directly to unique entrepreneurs in the developing world in order to help them free themselves from poverty. While THE Office has been raising funds for this cause since March 2008, we have since provided 72 loans to entrepreneurs across the world. As of January 2012 the total amount we have lent is US$9,400.00 and the total amount repaid is US$8,548.42. Find out how you can get involved at www.kiva.org

 

'Used But Useful' Donations for DCSN, July – November 2011

Since July 2011, THE Office's Finance Department has been busy organizing various collection drives in support of the Dubai Centre for Special Needs (DCSN). Calling upon staff to dig deep and donate any 'used but still useful' items, our team personally delivered everything from electronic and household goods to clothes, toys, books and furniture to the centre on four separate occasions. While DCSN sells most of these items to raise funds, the nonprofit organization utilized the sofa, TV and DVD player we donated in October to create an entertainment room for its students. Overjoyed to receive another TV and DVD player as part of their November delivery, the centre set these up in the reception area - just in time for their Annual Open Day - so visitors could watch informative videos on DCSN's facilities, services etc. Find out how you can help at www.dcsneeds.ae

 

THE Office Fulfils a Pressing Need, June 2011

In a bid to lend a hand to one of our chosen causes: Senses – a private, non-profit organization that provides care and support for 50+ special needs children in Dubai, THE Office staff collectively raised AED 1,370 to purchase three much needed steam irons and four ironing boards for local volunteers who help Senses with their monthly laundry. We're happy to have made a meaningful difference in our local community, especially after seeing the smiles on the children's faces when the goods were delivered in June. If you would like to support Senses, please contact them on +971 4 3948765.

 

THE One Outlet

Ramadan Collection, August 2011

On 28 August, 12 Onederworkers from our Outlet tribe joined forces with Dubai Outlet Mall and the Red Crescent Society of the United Arab Emirates to share in the Ramadan spirit of giving. They participated in collecting clothes, books, food, toiletries etc to distribute to disadvantaged people who have been affected by natural disasters across the world. Find out how you can help at http://rcuae.ae (Arabic) and http://194.170.200.107/english (English)

 

Saving Lives through Blood Donation, July 2011

Every second someone in the world needs blood. That someone could be a mother giving birth, an accident victim, a girl suffering from life-threatening anaemia, a boy with dengue fever, a father facing open-heart surgery and the list goes on and on. With this in mind, nine brave members of THE One Outlet tribe travelled to Al Wasl Hospital on 28 July to donate their precious blood, not only helping save lives but also raising awareness of the need for more donors in the UAE. Here's to Changing the World Together one pint at a time!

 

Spring-cleaning at Al Noor, June 2011

This summer, five of our Outlet tribe members visited Dubai's Al Noor Training Centre for Children with Special Needs to lend a hand with the cleaning of their recreational and garden areas in preparation for one of the centre's upcoming events. While the team was enthusiastic, cleaning in the heat and humidity proved quite a challenge, not to mention dealing with faulty equipment, which one of our guys was thankfully able to repair. The outcome however was fantastic, with a spick and span entertaining area for Al Noor to host their special event. A tad tired but all smiles, our 'Onederworkers' happily offered their services for any future maintenance jobs, living up to our saying: "Why just be a human being when you can be a human doing good?". If you would like to volunteer, check out www.alnoorspneeds.ae/volunteer

 

Children's Hope Foundation Party, February 2011

Vanessa Negrite, a Senior Sales Consultant at THE One Outlet, came across the Children's Hope Foundation (CHF) during her search for a worthy cause to support as part of THE One's SRI programme. Discovering that this foundation provides medical, educational and leisure facilities for children suffering from illness, disability or poverty, she knew her team members would jump at the chance to be part of bringing a little joy to these young lives. And she was right… Seven 'Onederworkers' from THE One Outlet (including 8-month pregnant Vanessa) volunteered at the very next event hosted by CHF; a children's party, attended by many with special needs, held on February 5 at a villa in Al Barsha. Manning an activity table where they assisted the children in decorating photo frames with stickers, colourful pens and paint, our Outlet tribe members thoroughly enjoyed interacting and playing with the kids. The icing on the cake was seeing the delight on their little faces when creating their very own personalized frames! In what was an emotional yet amazing experience, everyone who participated will remember changing the world for these disadvantaged children, even if it was only for just a few precious hours. Find out how you can help make a difference at www.chfdubai.org

 

THE One Wafi

Caring for Mistreated Sri Lankan Maids, July - November 2011

When our Wafi team heard about the makeshift accommodation 52 mistreated runaway maids were living in behind the Sri Lankan Embassy, they called on their Jumeirah colleagues to help them take action. While the tribe previously donated a sewing machine and sewing kits as well as packs of toiletries and blankets to the women, discussions with Embassy Officials in November resulted in the decision to brighten the maid’s lives by painting their rooms. So on 20 November that’s just what 12 of our ‘Onederworkers’ did. Money raised from staff raffles and Jumeirah’s tuck shop sales helped the team fund this amazing initiative, which has gone a long way to improving the environment these unfortunate women live in.