Premium automaker's Star Fund drives greater social good in China

Children and their caregivers learn about road safety education at a Mercedes-Benz dealership.[Photo provided to China Daily]

A leader in the automotive industry, Mercedes-Benz is also pioneering corporate social responsibility in China. With this year marking Mercedes-Benz Star Fund's fifth anniversary, the automaker's philanthropic platform is gearing up to take its CSR initiatives to the next level.

Founded in 2010 in partnership with Mercedes-Benz dealers and the China Youth Development Foundation, the Star Fund has been giving back to society in China in environmental protection, culture of driving, education support, arts and sports, and social care.

Students gather together alongside Mercedes-Benz Star Ambassador volunteers at the opening ceremony of a new Mercedes-Benz Hope School in Ya'an, Sichuan province.[Photo provided to China Daily]

The Star Fund's programs and initiatives bring together a force driving the development of social good and responsibility in China. A few notable accomplishments made this year include:

Establishing 100 new Happy Music Classrooms, bringing music education opportunities to children in up to 500 Hope Schools across the nation.

Establishing 50 Community Road Safety Education Star Bases at Mercedes-Benz dealership stores, bringing road safety education to more families and schools.

Holding public road safety education classes, including one at the China Open with tennis star Li Na and another with Lane Crawford.

Opening a rebuilt 8,400-square-meter Mercedes-Benz Hope School in Tianquan county of Ya'an, Sichuan province, that has benefited more than 20,000 people in nine surrounding villages.

Creating a partnership between Mercedes-Benz and the Laureus Sports for Good Foundation in China to inspire more children by providing Laureus training to physical education teachers from 129 Hope Schools.

The Star Fund also has a few signature programs that serve as examples of sustainable projects for social good.

The Road Safety Education Star Base program helps children aged 4 to 10 and their caregivers learn about and adapt to various road conditions and situations through entertainment, hands-on activities at schools, public events and Mercedes-Benz dealership stores.

This year more than 30 dealers have piloted the program in their dealerships and other platforms to engage in surrounding neighborhoods, schools and in public spaces, advocating for a safe and harmonious driving culture.

The Music Education Star Base program provides professional training for music teachers as well as volunteer teaching services to bring standard art education and opportunities to children.

A highlight of the program features concerts, in partnership with China's National Center for the Performing Arts, which bring together master musicians and students to learn about music.

The Green Legacy program, founded in 2007 and one of Mercedes-Benz's oldest CSR programs in China, works with UNESCO and Chinese authorities to preserve World Heritage sites in China.

The program not only helps to conserve and enhance heritage sites but also raises public awareness around environmental and cultural diversity, history and protection. This year, Mercedes-Benz has helped rebuild facilities and organized volunteer services at panda sanctuaries affected by earthquakes.

With five meaningful years, solid programs and strong support, Star Fund is at a new starting point. Having received 95.16 million yuan ($14.9 million) from Mercedes-Benz to carry out charity projects, the philanthropic platform has been able to develop and mature. As part of its goal to be a stable and significant CSR platform in China, Mercedes-Benz has pledged to annually donate 50 million yuan to the Star Fund.

With the facilitation of the updated Star Fund CSR platform, broader participation in charity is no longer just a dream. The brand new platform allows people easier, wider access to take part in social activities and encourages the public to engage in the sustainable development of Chinese society.

"For the future, Mercedes-Benz will continue joining hands with customers, dealers, employees and social do-gooders, expanding influence and outreach, and exciting everyone with CSR endeavors, thus deepening Mercedes-Benz's commitment to Chinese society," said Li Hongpeng, senior executive vice-president of Beijing Mercedes-Benz Sales Service Co Ltd and chairman of the Mercedes-Benz Star Fund Management Committee.

As an all-inclusive platform of philanthropy, the Mercedes-Benz Star Fund will further utilize and expand its current projects and networks, striving to build creative ways in a bid to enable more people to partake and share in the "Nurturing the Best for All Our Tomorrows" with Mercedes-Benz, while serving as a role model for the automaker's CSR.