720 residents of Kembangan-Chai Chee lend a helping hand

CHINESE New Year preparations started today for Madam Goh Soh Eng, 85, who got a new coat of paint for her flat with the help of Acting Manpower Minister Tan Chuan Jin and two families who live in the vicinity.

For about one and a half hours today, Mr Tan, the area's grassroots advisor, and seven others helped to spruce up Madam Goh's one-room rental flat in Chai Chee Avenue, by adding a new layer of white paint.

This was part of the One Community 2013 Project organised by the Kembangan-Chai Chee grassroots organisations. It is one of the platforms for residents to get involved in helping their community.

Over 720 residents of the Kembangan-Chai Chee constituency took part in 13 activities to help the needy residents in the area, which includes block washing and rice distribution.

Mr Tan, who is also Senior Minister of State for National Development, said that the kampung spirit "can still be alive".

"I think it is very important to encourage residents to really play a part... and get to know each other at the same time... as you get to know each other, you begin to relate to each other very differently as opposed to being strangers," he said.

Several other services, such as medical check-up and wheelchair distribution, were offered with the help of corporate sponsors and community organisations.

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