HERE's to the Stars of Community CHEST
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HERE’S TO the STArs OF COMMUNITY Chest COMMUNITY CHEST AWARDS 2018 Community Chest 170 Ghim Moh Road #01-02 Singapore 279621 Tel: 6210 2600 | Fax: 6468 4909 Email: [email protected] HERE’S TO THE STARS OF COMMUNITY CHEST CONTENTS 02 04 06 Message by Message by Transformation of President Halimah Yacob Mr Phillip Tan Community Chest Awards 08 14 20 Our 35-Year Journey of Building a Collaborative Recognising Holistic Caring Empowering with Care, & Impactful Ecosystem Uniting in Trust 28 40 42 List of Award Recipients With Special Thanks Awards Criteria and Eligibility All information is correct at time of print. Photographs and videos may be taken at the event and used for publicity purposes. MessAGE BY PRESIDENT HALimAH YAcoB Patron-In-Chief, National Council of Social Service 2 HERE’S TO THE STARS OF COMMUNITY CHEST Congratulations to all the recipients of Community Chest Awards 2018. Your acts of kindness have empowered many of those around you. With the introduction of five award categories, the Community Chest Awards has been enhanced this year to recognise a wider range of contributions and to encourage holistic caring. This is in line with the Social Service Sector Strategic Thrusts (4ST) co-developed in 2017 by the National Council of Social Service with stakeholders of the social service eco-system to ensure that everyone lives with dignity in a caring and inclusive society. Over the years, Community Chest has been leading the effort for social service users to learn, develop and be independent within the community. It has done so by supporting social service organisations that provide training to improve the employability of persons with disabilities or special needs, and encouraging employers to do their part in inclusive hiring. Through its effort, we have grown as an inclusive society, enriched by the different abilities of those among us. I am confident that Community Chest will continue to draw synergies across the people, public and private sectors, as we strive to build a caring, collaborative and inclusive ecosystem for all. Together, we can create wider positive impact on the lives of Singaporeans. 3 MessAGE BY MR PhiLLIP TAN Chairman, Community Chest 4 HERE’S TO THE STARS OF COMMUNITY CHEST As Community Chest celebrates our 35th anniversary this year, we want to express our heartfelt gratitude to our leaders, partners and volunteers who have journeyed with us over the past three and a half decades. Created with the aim to honour organisations and individuals who have set a benchmark of excellence in their giving efforts to the social service sector, the Community Chest Awards has been transformed this year to recognise holistic caring and sharing through new Award categories. It is also a celebration of the strengthened partnerships among the people, public and private sector to empower the lives of our social service users. From our SHARE donors who have created lasting impact through sustained giving; to volunteer partners who have been exemplary in their regular volunteerism initiatives with demonstrated outcomes; to partners who have enabled Community Chest through their sharing of talents and resources, and our Pinnacle Award winner who is exemplary in holistic caring through giving, volunteerism and inclusive employment – we want to say thank you. Each and every one of the Award recipients is an inspiration to many and we hope that their stories will encourage you to continue to make a difference in the community. My heartiest congratulations to all the Award recipients who have transformed lives through their giving of time, talents and treasures so that together we can achieve the vision of empowering every person to live with dignity in a caring and inclusive society. 5 tr AnsFOR MAtion OF commUnitY chest AWArds Welcome to the first Community Chest Awards (CCA) ceremony, which is held to recognise holistic caring through a refreshed criteria. As the social service ecosystem evolves, Community Chest has seen more partners stepping up in holistic caring for the disadvantaged and vulnerable in our community. Some of them have demonstrated excellence in caring through fundraising and donations, volunteering with our supported charities and also being an inclusive employer for our service users. The new Awards criteria aims to acknowledge these outstanding contributions, from corporate organisations that embrace inclusive employment practices, to individuals who contribute their time and skills to enable Community Chest to support those in need, as holistic caring goes beyond monetary donations. The transformation of the Community Chest Awards is in line with the Social Service Sector Strategic Thrusts (4ST), a five-year roadmap for the sector, which envisions empowering every person to live with dignity in a caring and inclusive society. 6 HERE’S TO THE STARS OF COMMUNITY CHEST LoGO DESIGN And R AtionALE The Community Chest Award recognises people and organisations as the stars of caring and sharing. The new logo design consists of a star made up of people and organisations raising their hands together, working hand in hand to help people in need of support. The refreshed logo also takes inspiration from the Community Chest logo. The head and open arms, which is derived from the Community Chest logo, represents continuity and showcases how each individual has a part to play in social service. The five points of the star represent the five categories of awards and recognise the winners as stars in their own rights. 7 OUR 35-YeAR JOUrneY OF EmpoWerinG With CAre, UnitinG in TRUst As Community Chest marks our 35-year journey of caring with the community, we want to appreciate our partners, whose unwavering support through the years have enabled us to care for the disadvantaged, and celebrate the empowerment of our social service users who are giving back by showcasing their talents and abilities. 42-year-old Chin Mee Fong (centre) has Down Syndrome and used to struggle to find employment. With support and training from MINDS Employment Development Centre, she is now able to bake a variety of cookies. Your contributions have provided support and training for persons with disabilities like her, so that in turn they can lead independent lives. 8 HERE’S TO THE STARS OF COMMUNITY CHEST 9 FeATUred Corpor Ate Centr AL ProVident FUnd BoArd “At CPF Board level, we have seen the impact of sustained giving through SHARE, where the individuals give within their own capacity. The efforts are multiplied when we work together and contribute at the organisation level. Through the SHARE and CPF Board’s Community Service programmes, we have all been enriched by the camaraderie and meaningful experiences.“ Ms Caroline Loh, Director (Human Resource), Central Provident Fund Board The Central Provident Fund Board (CPF Board) has been supporting the Community Chest through the SHARE programme, for the last three decades. Over the years, CPF Board has continuously rallied and encouraged staff, including new officers, to contribute a portion of their monthly salary through SHARE, for the various social service organisations supported by Community Chest. Besides being an avid supporter through regular staff contributions, CPF Board has been appointed as the central collecting body for SHARE donations (on behalf of Community Chest) at the national level since 1 January 1990. This has helped to ease the administration process for all participating companies. With an easy donation process, more companies and employees have been encouraged to participate in SHARE and to join Community Chest to make a lasting and positive impact on the lives of the less fortunate. CPF Board believes in the power of collective impact through building and sustaining a long-term relationship with the social service users. They have created a diversified array of volunteering opportunities for the CPF family with different charity and volunteer programmes and fundraising activities for the seniors, disadvantaged families, adults and children with special needs. Participating in these activities provides an additional meaning to staff’s work life, and also allowed CPF Board to bond and work towards enriching the lives of the less privileged in our community. Central Provident Fund Board is a recipient of the Community Chest Awards 2018 SHARE Platinum Award. 10 HERE’S TO THE STARS OF COMMUNITY CHEST FeATUred PERFormAnce CAnossiAN SchooL PERCUSSION BAnd “Music has been a wonderful levelling platform for us to nurture differing abilities and talents in each of our students. Watching them perform and shine at each performance fills us with such joy and pride. Each one of them is a shining star and there’s a strong sense of fulfilment as we watch them grow from strength to strength. These opportunities to showcase their gifts have boosted their sense of confidence and self-esteem which are so critical to making them independent, young individuals with a strong self-concept.” Ms Christina Michael, Principal, Canossian School Canossian School believes in developing students’ talents in various spheres including the performing arts. The percussion band, established in 1989, is testimony to this. For the band members, besides cultivating an appreciation for music, having a knowledge of rhythms and beats, and being part of a team, they also benefit in terms of gaining improved listening and communication skills. The Canossian School percussion band has grown and blossomed through the years and is a showcase of how successful children with hearing loss can be. Given the right environment, training and support, they have been able to perform at both local and international events. This year has been a momentous one for the band, as the band notched up several firsts – they were the first SPED school to participate alongside mainstream schools at the Singapore Youth Festival and performed for the military tattoo at the National Day Parade 2018. These have been moments of pride for the children, their families and for the school.