Central CDC’s GiraffeSG@Central volunteer movement aims to raise $10 million for community

SINGAPORE - The Central Singapore Community Development Council (CDC) is looking to raise $10 million by 2026 as it scales up its do-good efforts for the community, by the community, through its volunteer movement GiraffeSG@Central.

It will also set up a $1 million fund to support young people’s community projects, and hand out awards to honour individuals and organisations that improve the lives of residents in the CDC.

These initiatives were announced by Mayor of Central Singapore District Denise Phua at her district meeting, held in the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre on April 3.

She said the ramping up of GiraffeSG, which was launched in 2015, to GiraffeSG@Central “brings to life what (Prime Minister Lawrence Wong) referred to as... ‘a democracy of deeds’ and not just words, where we actively strengthen our social impact through ground-up actions”, and every Singaporean has a part to play in shaping our shared future together.

“Through GiraffeSG@Central, we are going to foster a community where everyone contributes to building a more caring and forward-looking Singapore as we celebrate SG60,” she added, referring to the country’s diamond jubilee.

Ms Phua, who is also an MP for Jalan Besar GRC, said that CDCs must remain nimble and relevant in response to the evolving landscape, as well as to emerging and even existing needs.

She outlined five significant developments of the changing landscape in Singapore’s society – the rising cost of living; a rapidly ageing population; shifts in family structures; rapid technological advancements; and challenges faced by specific groups such as residents with disabilities, caregivers of the disabled and seniors, and residents in the sandwiched generation.

Around 250 corporate and community partners attended the event, themed “Building a Do-Good District”.

Ms Phua told the room that in 2023 and 2024, her CDC’s outreach efforts achieved encouraging success. “We engaged more than 226,000 participants, with a higher percentage among the adults and senior citizens. We even fostered meaningful partnerships with over 900 organisations and engaged more than 25,000 volunteers,” she said.

Ms Phua added that more than 340,000 Central Singapore households have benefited from

the CDC Vouchers Scheme to ease the cost of purchasing essentials.

“The CDC vouchers scheme has an important dual purpose. It is intentionally designed to benefit hawkers and merchants in the heartland. To date, it has benefited 8,000 hawkers and heartland merchants in Central,” she said.

Ms Phua said there are three components of the scaled-up GiraffeSG@Central, which is so named because a giraffe’s height allows it to look out for others and stick its neck out for the common good.

The first is the GiraffeSG Campaign, under which the CDC hopes to raise $10 million for its community fund by 2026.

Individuals and organisations can look out for GiraffeSG art installations, designed by artists with disabilities, in public and community spaces throughout Singapore.

These installations come with a QR code to access volunteering opportunities in Central Singapore or donate to the community fund.

“The second component is... the GiraffeSG grant to support the older youth in institutions of higher learning and JCs (junior colleges) in their community projects. We will set up a $1 million budget to inspire and enable these young people to be change makers, and they will be guided by their principals in their schools and the leaders of their institutions,” Ms Phua said.

The third is GiraffeSG Heroes Award, an initiative to honour individuals and organisations that have made significant contributions to better the lives of constituents in Central. Details will be announced later.

When asked about the plans for Jalan Besar GRC in the coming general election, Ms Phua declined to speak on the topic, saying only that PM Wong will have his plans for the constituencies.