Illumina’s Singapore Team Fights Cancer

Originally published on Illumina News Center

For the second year in a row, Illumina’s Singapore team participated in the annual overnight Relay for Life Charity Run for the Singapore Cancer Society (SCS). Starting in the early evening on April 20, about 40 employees took to the track, and they completed 125 kilometers (78 mi) by mid-morning the next day. During the run, the team raised US $4940 to support SCS cancer programs.

“Six hours into the race, you could see that everyone was getting tired,” says Shiyun Quek, regional head of Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability for Illumina’s APAC region. “It was very touching to witness how giving knows no boundaries. While team members were of diverse ages and fitness levels, everyone endured and chipped in to give their best to complete the race. It was amazing to observe how our colleagues are really focused on the collective purpose and living the Illumina corporate values of being relentless and collaborative.”

The Illumina team completed the race’s scheduled distance of 100 kilometers in about nine hours, then kept going to 125 kilometers as a demonstration of their encouragement to cancer patients that “no one fights cancer alone.”

Singapore giving back

The Relay for Life race is just one part of a larger philanthropic program. In 2023, more than 70% of Illumina employees in Singapore participated in giving and volunteering activities. Employee-driven donations contributed $122,000 to various charities in Singapore.

The Singapore team has streamlined and consolidated its giving efforts toward a few key causes and partners for the past two years, aiming to deepen its impact for the community. SCS was one of those key strategic partners.

“Patients are often devastated when they’re diagnosed with cancer. Families, likewise, are overwhelmed, and many may need financial or social support to help them through difficult times,” says Derric Lee, Illumina’s vice president and general manager of Singapore Operations. “I am heartened to see many of our employees donating generously and contributing many hours to support and make an impact on the lives and livelihood of cancer patients and their family members.”

The Singapore team’s support for SCS is aligned with other existing partnerships that focus on supporting patients with cancer and their families. In 2023, the Illumina Corporate Foundation and Illumina employees in Singapore donated nearly $60,000, and more than 1000 volunteer hours, to SCS, which then honored Illumina at a volunteer appreciation event with an “All-Rounder Corporate 2023” award for its ongoing partnership.

Holistic support

Illumina aims to support the whole continuum of care. When SCS saw a gap in breast cancer screening rates, they instituted the empowerHER program, which sent mobile mammogram clinics to workplaces, funded by grants from Illumina. Illumina also funded SCS’s Return to Role program, which helps cancer survivors return to their careers.

In 2023, when a large cancer conference came to Singapore, Illumina volunteers helped staff the event. In addition to supporting conference logistics, the Illumina team helped communicate anti-cancer messages, becoming advocates and champions for the cause.

The Singapore team also works directly with those affected by cancer. In partnership with SCS, Illumina employees have conducted home visits and delivered festive “cheer packs” to patients. They organized outings to take cancer patients and their family members to places of interest to provide them some respite from their daily stresses and spend precious family time together.

In addition to SCS, Illumina employees also collaborate with the Children’s Cancer Foundation (CCF) in Singapore. Last year, they raised more than $60,000 for CCF as part of their Hair for Hope campaign, which gathered volunteers across the country to shave their heads, fundraise, and lend their voices to encourage children with cancer that it’s okay to be bald. Many of Illumina Singapore’s senior corporate leaders took part by shaving their heads. This year, employees from the Women at Illumina Network (WIN) employee resource group knitted and sold beanies to fundraise for the event.

“At Illumina, we’re committed to creating opportunities for employees to volunteer in their communities with organizations that are meaningful to them and that connect to our mission,” said Dorothy Wong, Illumina’s head of regional HR for APAC. “We are proud to have contributed more than 4400 volunteer hours last year. Also, the company and its employees have collectively donated more than $350,000 to various causes in Singapore, including those for cancer and oncology, STEM education, disabilities, and environmental sustainability.”

The fight against cancer continues even as the year draws to a close. The Singapore team will have a contingent of close to 100 employees and family members take part in SCS’s Race Against Cancer in September, as well as the Breast Cancer Foundation’s Pink Ribbon Walk in October, to continue raising resources and support for the cancer community.

Learn more about how Illumina employees are making a difference in their communities here.