JD.com Launches Program to Support Special Needs Children Through Art Therapy

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Nov 08, 2018, 14:11 ET

NEW YORK, Nov. 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- E-commerce giant JD.com, China's largest online retailer and biggest overall retailer by revenue, expanded its extensive philanthropic commitments with a new charity program for children with developmental disabilities such as autism and Down syndrome.

The new philanthropic initiative is called "Creating Happiness Together," with the goal to raise money for World of Art Brut Culture (WABC), a Shanghai non-governmental organization (NGO) devoted to supporting special needs individuals through a creative art therapy treatment.

Prior to the program launching, JD sought out paintings designed by children supported by WABC to feature this artwork on 100,000 of its delivery packages. Last week, from November 1 through November 3, some JD.com customers in northern China who ordered qualifying products received their orders in the special packaging.

"From the very beginning, JD.com has been committed to leveraging its success to give back to society and help those in need," said Libo Ma, head of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) at JD.com and general secretary of the company's charity affiliate, JD Foundation. "This innovative program supports the artistic development of kids with special needs. In addition, it brings smiles to customers lucky enough to get one of the packages with a unique work of art created by one of the children. That's why it is a wonderful new addition to JD's many philanthropic commitments."

In another exciting aspect of the program, JD.com will unveil and promote a new page on its site that features approximately 1000 popular items such as computers and consumer electronics from 50 top brands including Xiaomi, JBL, and deli among others. A portion of the proceeds from every purchase on the new page will go to WABC.

"JBL has always been dedicated to using our resources to support groups in need in the community," said Raymond Jiang, Director of E-Commerce of JBL. "Thanks to its huge influence with both Chinese consumers and businesses, JD.com is our ideal partner for driving this new charitable endeavor to success. We look forward to working closely with them to bring happiness into the lives of more young people."

JD organized an exhibition in Beijing on November 4 where the children's artwork was displayed. In addition, the company has launched an HTML5 page that features the children's paintings in black and white, on which customers can add colors of their choice to customize the artwork to their likings. So far, over 170,000 people have participated, creating more than 100,000 customized works and generating more than 700,000 views.

The company is promoting the program's online and offline activities using both WeChat and Weibo to raise awareness throughout China's vast population of social media users.

SOURCE JD.com