SINGAPORE - In 1984, 21-year-old factory clerk Lim Kim Lan decided to start donating a few dollars of her salary every month to the Community Chest (ComChest).
She had heard about its initiative to encourage people to donate regularly at a workplace sharing, and thought that those few dollars could go towards something bigger.
“If you have a big pool of people giving one or two dollars every month, it adds up and can really create great impact,” said the 60-year-old who is now working as a part-time clerk.
Madam Lim, who has continued giving a small sum of money each month, was one of many recognised on Wednesday as long-time donors of ComChest.
A total of 196 organisations and individuals were lauded at the Community Chest Awards ceremony for their contributions towards donations, volunteering and inclusive hiring.
For Madam Lim, the dedicated effort in giving back is one way to instil good values in her children. When she receives her yearly letter from ComChest to thank her for her contributions, she makes it a point to show it to her daughter.
She said: “I want to be a good example for her and show her that giving back is very important.”
All donations to ComChest went towards supporting more than 200 critical social services and 93,000 individuals in need, the philanthropy arm of the National Council of Social Service said in a news release on Wednesday.
These include children with special needs and youth at risk, adults with disabilities, people with mental health conditions and families and seniors in need of assistance, it added.
The award ceremony was attended by President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, his wife, Ms Jane Ittogi, and Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Social and Family Development Eric Chua.
SP Group received the highest accolade, the Pinnacle Award, for its various efforts in giving.
The utilities firm started its partnership with ComChest in 2005 when it established the Heartware Fund, which raises funds for programmes that help vulnerable people in Singapore.
The group also allows its customers and business associates to contribute to ComChest through the SP app. It also provides internship and employment opportunities to students or adults with special needs under its Growing Autistic Talent for Engineering Sector programme, a tie-up with non-profit Trampolene.
SP Group head of communications Amelia Champion said: “We recognise that it’s important that workplaces are made conducive for diverse abilities, in this case persons with disabilities.
“This partnership has enabled us to take the first steps to understand how our workplace can be made suitable and welcoming for them.”
Apart from the Pinnacle Award, it also received the Charity Platinum, Enabler, and Volunteer Partner awards for its contributions through donations, volunteerism and other forms of support.
Group chief executive and director of SP Group Stanley Huang said the company is committed to giving close to $5 million in philanthropic contributions and scaling up its volunteer outreach in 2023, building on the $5.1 million disbursed in the last two years through ComChest.
Insurance company Sun Life Singapore was also lauded as a Pioneer Partner of Change, which recognises corporates that are part of ComChest’s Change for Charity initiative.
The company donates 0.5 per cent of premiums received for one of its life insurance plans, the SunBrilliance Indexed Universal Life, with a cap of US$20,000 (S$27,400) per policy.
Chief partnership and marketing officer for Sun Life Singapore Michael Wei said: “Although we are young in Singapore, it was very important for us that although we are building a business, we also want to give back to the community here.”
ComChest chairman Chew Sutat said: “Indeed, with needs becoming more complex, it is critical for us to rally our partners and the community to adopt sustainable philanthropy practices.
“Through giving holistically and regularly through donations, volunteering, providing resources and your network, we can enable the social service sector to be adequately resourced to meet current and future challenges.”
