Golden Jubilee countdown: 10 days to National Day

CCs give funpacks an extra touch

Additional goodies include fridge magnet, state flag and Lee Kuan Yew tribute book

Some items, such as the state flag, have celebratory significance, while others are practical, such as the mug and fridge magnet. For Jurong GRC residents, the LKY tribute book is meaningful.
Some items, such as the state flag, have celebratory significance, while others are practical, such as the mug and fridge magnet. For Jurong GRC residents, the LKY tribute book is meaningful. ST PHOTO: TOH TING WEI

Here's more punch to your pack.

Some households will find extra items in their SG50 funpacks that have been added by their community centres (CCs).

The extra items that some Singaporeans and permanent residents will receive include a fridge magnet with helplines, water thimbles, a Lee Kuan Yew memorial booklet, the state flag and a battery pack.

These are on top of the standard National Day funpack items.

A total of 1.2 million funpacks will be distributed through the 107 CCs. Each centre is free to add items to the packs for its residents.

While the People's Association (PA) could not provide a comprehensive list of items that each CC will be adding, it is understood that not all will include extra items. The most common extra gift among the different CCs is the state flag.

In Jurong GRC, however, a Lee Kuan Yew commemorative book has been added to the funpack. The book has pictures of residents paying respects to the late Mr Lee, along with their tributes.

Mr George Huang, 30, a grassroots volunteer in Jurong, said: "We made a tribute book for Mr Lee during the week of mourning, and it was well received by residents, who found it meaningful. Hence, we decided to do a new version which the residents can keep."

Mr Lee died on March 23 at the age of 91. More than 70,000 copies of the book were printed.

Other than items with celebratory significance, some CCs are providing more practical items, such as a fridge magnet for Kebun Baru residents. Mr Henry Kwek, 39, chairman of Kebun Baru Welfare Community, said the magnet, which lists helplines of social support agencies, will be useful to needy and elderly citizens. He said: "We want to be a community where people look out for one another, so that nobody falls through the cracks."

In Bishan East, residents get an "I Love Bishan" mug, the state flag and a bag. A PA spokesman said the mug is intended for use at the constituency's National Day Dinner, where residents are encouraged to give a cup of rice to charity.

The additional gifts have proved to be popular with some residents.

Jurong resident Amanda Tan, 21, was happy to receive the Lee Kuan Yew tribute book. The student said the book "is pretty cool, because it is specific to the GRC, with tributes from residents of Jurong".

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on July 31, 2015, with the headline CCs give funpacks an extra touch. Subscribe