M E D I A R E L E A S E Embargoed until 3pm on Saturday, 16 May 2015

Community Chest Marks ’s 50 th with Golden Jubilee Charity Concert Community Chest seeks sustained giving through community and corporate partnerships

Singapore, 15 May 2015 – Community Chest, the fund-raising and engagement arm of National Council of Social Service (NCSS), marks Singapore’s 50 th year of independence with a Golden Jubilee Charity Concert <公益金金禧慈善音乐会> and brings the Chinese community together to care for the less fortunate. This is the second time that Community Chest is partnering with the Singapore Chinese Orchestra (SCO). The concert will be held on Saturday, 16 May 2015 at the Singapore Chinese Orchestra Concert Hall. The Guest of Honour is Mr Lawrence Wong, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, and Second Minister for Communications and Information.

More than 600 people, comprising corporate donors and some elderly guests, are expected at the concert, which is held to raise funds for over 80 charities under the care of Community Chest. In celebration of SG50, funds raised from the concert will be matched dollar-for-dollar with a capability building grant for social service sector by the government under the Care & Share Movement. The concert will take the audience down memory lane of the past 50 years, with a medley of iconic Chinese theme music from familiar movie and television shows, such as 《雾锁南洋》The Awakening 《早安老师》Good Morning, Sir and 《城里的月光》Moonlight in the City.

The guest artiste, Taiwanese singer Jin Zhi Juan <金智娟> or widely known as Wawa <娃娃>, will be crooning her evergreen tunes, such as 《飘洋过海来看你》Sailing across the Ocean in Search of You, 《为何梦见他》 Why do I Dream of Him and 《就在今夜》It is Tonight. Also performing on stage is the first winner of Project Superstar in 2005, Kelvin Tan Wei Lian. The singer, who is visually-impaired, overcame all odds in the singing competition. His story of triumph mirrors that of some of Community Chest’s beneficiaries, who continue to thrive and excel, in the face of their disabilities and challenges.

“Community Chest is grateful for the generosity of the community and corporate partners over the years. As we grow as a nation, let us all strive to look beyond our personal success and start sharing success with others, too. We look forward to continued partnerships with the community so together we can help the less fortunate in Singapore in the next 50 years,” said Mr Phillip Tan, Chairman of Community Chest and Care & Share Movement Steering Committee.

Community Chest Seeks Sustained Giving from Community and Corporate Partners

Community Chest seeks sustained giving from community and corporate partners as social service needs are better met through longer-term planning. Community Chest has seen more corporations moving from one-off monetary donations to longer-term partnerships – with money, time, people and skills – to bring about better outcomes for the beneficiaries. Through more sustained giving, programmes and initiatives in the social service sector can be better planned and delivered for long-term impact without interruptions from the lack of resources.

“With sustained donations and volunteerism, the concept of corporate giving has broadened. We are thankful for the strong support from our corporate partners, who have been making it possible for Community Chest to provide better support to beneficiaries over the years, so they can lead a better quality of life. On top of existing social service programmes, we will be channelling donations to pilot new programmes to meet emerging and underserved areas, as well as capacity and capability building projects. As the needs of the sector continue to evolve, we look

forward to more corporations partnering us to provide sustained support to help those in need,” said Mr Tan.

“Community Chest and its supporters have been actively helping the more vulnerable members of our community. Their efforts are inspiring, and making a difference on the ground. We hope more and companies will step forward too to help the community. The Government will continue to match dollar-for- dollar donations to ComChest. In this year of our Golden Jubilee, let's all do our part to build a more caring and inclusive society," said Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, Mr Lawrence Wong.

Funding Pioneering Projects Rolled out by NCSS and Partner VWOs Funds raised in 2015 will go towards new and emerging needs, such as pioneering programmes to be piloted over a three-year period by NCSS in partnership with voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs). Among those to be funded by Community Chest through donations from corporate partners is the ‘Me Too! Club’, a befriending and social activities programme that started in April 2015. It reach es out to over 100 adults with moderate to severe disabilities, who may be socially isolated. The aim of this programme is to engage these individuals through social interaction and integration activities.

Channelling Donations to Build the Capacity and Capability of the Sector Community Chest is also committed to channelling funds to build the capacity and capability of the sector, such as in social service research. To kick-start its involvement, Community Chest will be injecting funds to a two-year research on low- income wage earners and their families, conducted by the NUS Social Service Research Centre. The findings will be made available to all charities and VWOs in 2018 to enhance understanding and better intervention models to help these families.

To meet the needs of the social service sector, Community Chest aims to raise $150 million in the next three financial years with greater focus on sustained giving by individuals, foundations and corporations. It will continue with its fund-raising efforts to maximise on the additional $250m matching grant by the government under the Care & Share Movement, which has been extended till March 2016.

For media interviews with artistes and spokespersons, please contact: Ms Shazliana Heron Manager, Corporate Communications National Council of Social Service Tel: 6210 2639 / 9844 2775 Email: [email protected]

About Community Chest For over 30 years, Community Chest has been engaging the community to support people in need through fund-raising and volunteering. Community Chest supports more than 80 charities in Singapore, allowing them to focus on caring for the less fortunate. As Community Chest’s fund-raising and operating costs are covered mainly by Tote Board and Singapore Pools, every dollar donated will help: • Children with special needs to reach potential • Adults with disabilities to integrate into society • Relationships of families in difficulty to stay strong • Elderly to age graciously in the community

To make a difference, visit comchest.sg .

About the Care & Share Movement Care & Share is a national fund-raising and volunteerism movement led by Community Chest for the social service sector, in celebration of SG50 this year. It aims to bring our nation together to show care and concern for the less fortunate, and recognise the contributions made by voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs). Eligible donations raised by Community Chest and participating VWOs from now till 31 March 2016 will be matched dollar-for-dollar by the Government. The matched amount will go towards building the capabilities and capacities of the social service sector and supporting social services to meet rising needs.

To contribute to this Movement, please visit careandshare.sg or email to [email protected] .

Issued by: Corporate Communications National Council of Social Service Day, 15 May 2015

ANNEX

Programme 节目

2.00PM: Cocktail Reception

2.55PM: Arrival of Guest-of-Honour Minister Lawrence Wong

3.00pm: Opening Speech by Mr Yang Tse Pin, Chairman of Community Chest Golden Jubilee Charity Concert Sub-Committee

3.10pm: Performance by Singapore Chinese Orchestra (SCO)

Performance by Guest Artiste Kelvin Tan

3.45pm: Intermission

4.00pm: Cheque and token presentation ceremony

Photo opportunity

4.05pm: Performance by SCO

4.30pm: Performance by Guest Artiste Jin Zhi Juan and accompaniment by SCO

4.45pm: Presentation of Chinese Calligraphy to the winning bidder

Announcement of total funds raised

4.50pm Grand Finale by GOH, VVIPs, guest artistes and youth choir

5.00pm: Ends