PA partners recognised for community initiatives

More than 80 organisations receive Community Spirit Awards, 27 for the first time

(From left) Mr Raymond Wang, vice-chairman of the diabetes taskforce and member of the Siglap Citizens' Consultative Committee, Mr Lim Teck Lee, Deputy Principal (Academic), ITE College East and Mr Tan Hang Kian, chairman of the Siglap Citizen's Cons
(From left) Mr Raymond Wang, vice-chairman of the diabetes taskforce and member of the Siglap Citizens' Consultative Committee, Mr Lim Teck Lee, Deputy Principal (Academic), ITE College East and Mr Tan Hang Kian, chairman of the Siglap Citizen's Consultative Committee. Grassroots members and ITE College East nursing students formed a diabetes task force that makes house visits to residents. ST PHOTO: DESMOND FOO

A diabetes task force, that began as a grassroots initiative to help screen and support residents in Siglap, was among the community partnerships recognised by the People's Association (PA) yesterday.

The Siglap grassroots members and nursing students from the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) College East formed the task force to make monthly house visits to identify residents who are diabetic or at high risk of developing the condition.

For its continued collaborations with grassroots organisations, ITE College East received its seventh accolade yesterday at the PA Community Spirit Awards.

More than 80 corporate and community partners of the PA were presented with awards for their contributions, the highest number since it was introduced in 2005. Among them are 27 first-time recipients, including Ngee Ann Polytechnic, the National University Health System (NUHS) and JTC Corporation.

Awards are presented to organisations that partner the PA on community initiatives as well as employers of grassroots leaders who support employees' involvement in grassroots organisations.

Mr Raymond Wang, vice-chairman of the diabetes taskforce and member of the Siglap Citizens' Consultative Committee, said: "We realised during house visits that a lot of residents are diabetic so the grassroots came up with this idea to help the needy and elderly who are low-income, and promote healthy living."

Student nurses help to assess residents' risk of diabetes, while the task force also distributes small packets of low glycaemic index rice and organises periodic blood tests at community centres that are open to all residents, said Mr Wang, 48.

Out of the 540 residents visited so far, 40 have been identified as diabetic while 150 are high risk, he said.

Speaking at the awards ceremony at the PA headquarters in Jalan Besar, PA deputy chairman Chan Chun Sing emphasised the role that the PA and its partners play in nation building.

Mr Chan, who is also Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, said: "Each year, as we grow the number of partners and the quality of partnerships, we are very proud that we are taking small but incremental steps toward a more united and cohesive Singapore."

Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on July 06, 2017, with the headline PA partners recognised for community initiatives. Subscribe