Singaporean of the Year finalist: 12-year-old who raised over $1.2m for charity is ‘wired to help’
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Chng Rui Jie held her first fund-raising campaign when she was just nine years old.
ST PHOTO: SHINTARO TAY
SINGAPORE – Chng Rui Jie has an innate desire to help others in any way she can.
Her father said he noticed this trait in her when she was just three years old.
She would even pick up litter on the street and give it to her parents to throw in rubbish bins.
Mr Anthony Chng, 46, said of his daughter: “She is somehow wired to help. She would see litter, pick it up and give it to me.
“Then my wife would need to clean her hands with wet wipes because she (Rui Jie) didn’t understand (the rubbish) is dirty.”
Mr Chng is director of the enterprise division at Children-At-Risk Empowerment Association, a charity that focuses on helping at-risk youth.
Now 12, Rui Jie is contributing to society on a much larger scale.
She held her first fund-raising campaign when she was just nine years old.
She set up an appeal on online donation portal Giving.sg for The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund (STSPMF) and raised more than $56,000 in six months.
So far, Rui Jie, STSPMF’s youngest fund-raiser, has raised $332,000, said the fund’s spokesman.
The girl has also organised 60 online fund-raising campaigns for charities such as the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and Assisi Hospice.
Despite having to prepare for her Primary School Leaving Examination, which ended in October, the Gongshang Primary School pupil still managed to raise $286,000 in donations in 2023.
To date, she has raised more than $1.2 million for charity.
Rui Jie is one of the finalists for The Straits Times Singaporean of the Year award, which is organised by this newspaper to recognise those who have made a significant contribution to society.
When asked where her desire to help others comes from, Rui Jie said she has always wanted to play “big sister” to children and animals in need.
“I am an only child, so I don’t have the chance to be a jie jie (Mandarin for elder sister). So I want to help those younger than me and to look out for them like a jie jie,” she said.
Chng Rui Jie, 12, with her parents, Ms Joan Sim, 45, and Mr Anthony Chng, 46. Rui Jie has been raising funds for The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund since June 2020, when she was only nine.
ST PHOTO: AZMI ATHNI
Despite her success at online fund-raising and being featured in the news several times for her charitable acts, Rui Jie prefers to keep a low profile.
“I actually don’t really like to be known that much. I don’t tell my friends about what has been happening with my fund-raising, and in that way I’m also doing something for myself,” she said.
She told ST that she does not measure success by the amount of money she has raised, but rather by the satisfaction she gets from the effort she puts into her online campaigns.
“To me, if I surpass the goal amount which I set for myself, it’s like a bonus. But what’s important is to put in the effort to try something. To see that I am able to help with any cause, even in a little way, is good enough,” she said.
Having tried her hand at online fund-raising, Rui Jie now volunteers in other ways.
She has helped to pack and distribute sponsored items to needy residents in Punggol and Pasir Ris.
She has also chipped in as a part-time photographer and a media talent at the SG Cares volunteer centre in Pasir Ris.
She does these activities by herself or with her parents.
In 2023, she helped to put up festive decorations and distributed food for the Tampines Changkat Community Fridge, an initiative where residents can share surplus food with their neighbours.
She intends to volunteer for this cause at least once a month if her secondary school schedule permits.
Rui Jie said that through volunteering, she can be physically engaged in a cause, rather than just sitting in front of a computer to organise online fund-raisers.
It is also a good opportunity for her to meet people from different walks of life.
“It makes me happier because I get to see how what I’ve done has directly impacted someone.
“It definitely feels more fulfilling,” she said.
The Straits Times Singaporean of the Year Award, now in its ninth edition, is presented by UBS Singapore.
Nominations, which close on Dec 31, can be made at str.sg/soty23nominate
Nominees must be Singapore citizens, and recognised for performing their act of service in 2023.
The award recipient will get:
$20,000 in cash;
A pair of Singapore Airlines business-class tickets, up to three pairs for a group;
A five-night stay at any of Millennium Hotels and Resorts’ properties globally, for up to three people.
Finalists will receive:
$5,000 cash for each person or group;
A pair of Singapore Airlines economy-class tickets, up to three pairs for a group;
A three-night stay at one of Millennium Hotels and Resorts’ global properties, for up to three people.
The Straits Times Singaporean of the Year (SOTY) is an award that is given to a Singaporean or group of citizens who have made a significant contribution to society. This can be through achievements that put Singapore on the world stage, or by going beyond the call of duty to selflessly improve the lives of others in the community, among other ways.
The annual award is organised by The Straits Times and presented by UBS Singapore. The official airline partner is Singapore Airlines and the global hotel partner is Millennium Hotels and Resorts.
