Single mum who helps others wins Silent Heroes award

While some may feel overwhelmed by difficulties life throws at them, Ms Sharon Khoo Kwee Lan's selflessness transcended her own challenges.

In 2004, she adopted the son of a close relative, a single mother who had died. Seven years later, she lost her husband to an illness and had to single-handedly raise her own son and her adopted son who has global developmental delay, where a child takes longer to reach development milestones.

Despite these curveballs, the 62-year-old stayed resilient for the sake of her two sons and even found time to help out in the special needs community.

Yesterday, Ms Khoo was one of four inspiring individuals honoured at the annual Singapore Silent Heroes Award ceremony held at the Shangri-La Hotel.

She was conferred the Heart of Humanity award for finding greater fulfilment in serving others.

Ms Khoo said she started to volunteer at organisations that help people with disabilities so that she could better understand the needs of her adopted son.

"I had no idea what special needs were all about. I needed to learn ways in which I could teach my son, and volunteering and teaching others have allowed me to learn a lot about myself," she said.

"I am very honoured to receive an award but what is more important is that through this process, I have surprised myself with how strong I am as a person."

The award, in its ninth year, is organised by the non-profit Civilians Association Singapore. It recognises everyday Singaporeans, permanent residents and foreigners residing in Singapore who have quietly made a difference across families, communities and society without seeking recognition or monetary benefits.

From an initial pool of nearly 52 nominations, 13 were shortlisted as finalists, out of whom four were awarded the winner trophies in four categories.

The award in the Inspiring Youth category went to Mr Owen Tan, an active volunteer with Youth Corps Singapore. He also initiated a project in 2016 to take residents of Thong Teck Home for Senior Citizens on monthly meal outings.

Mr Derek Ong won in the Outstanding Adult category for his drive to redistribute unsold food to the needy, and Mrs Carol Chong clinched the Compassionate Foreigner award for leading seniors in exercises despite facing injuries of her own.

Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong, who handed out the awards yesterday evening, said the winners and finalists all embody the heart and soul of Singapore - having looked out for and supported one another, and pulling together as a united people to take the country forward.

The pandemic spurred many Singaporeans to go the extra mile for others, and the Government will continue to partner and lend its support to these citizen-led initiatives, he said.

For instance, the Our Singapore Fund will support 400 new projects in the next three years, he said. The fund was launched in 2016 and to date has provided grants to more than 260 ground-up projects that strengthen social cohesion and address community needs.