For over 20 years, Sage Counselling Centre has been offering a listening ear to the needy elderly as well as to their loved ones.
These counselling sessions provide the seniors with a platform to share concerns about their physical and mental health, loneliness and difficulties they face in their relationship with their family.
The centre also provides a hotline for the elderly to share their problems through its tele-counselling and tele-befriending services.
Yesterday, Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) and its charity arm, SPH Foundation, donated $350,000 to 20 social service organisations, including Sage Counselling Centre, which received $10,000.
Mr Wong Lit Shoon, 60, the centre's executive director, said: "Through this funding and donation, we hope to provide better resources to benefit more clients in the community and allow them to receive psycho-social support."
The donation is part of SPH and SPH Foundation's yearly efforts to support charities serving disadvantaged families, senior citizens as well as special needs students.
The cheque presentation was held yesterday at the Singapore Conference Hall with over 130 guests in attendance, including beneficiaries and caregivers from the 20 social service organisations.
The Special Education Financial Assistance Scheme will receive $150,000 to aid more than 1,500 special needs students from low-income families. Ten charities serving the elderly and disadvantaged families will receive $10,000 each from SPH, while the remaining $100,000 from SPH Foundation will go to 10 charities serving underprivileged children and the disabled.
Thye Hua Kwan Moral Charities, Lions Befrienders Service Association and the Rainbow Centre are among those receiving help.
The presentation was held in conjunction with an SPH Gift of Music lunchtime concert featuring local group The Teng Ensemble which performed medleys of popular hits, including Taiwanese singer Teresa Teng's Tian Mi Mi (Sweet As Honey) and Yue Liang Dai Biao Wo De Xin (The Moon Represents My Heart).
Dr Lee Boon Yang, chairman of SPH and SPH Foundation, was guest of honour. He presented the $350,000 cheque to Mr Eric Ang, vice-chairman of Community Chest, who received it on behalf of the social service organisations.
Sage Counselling Centre plans to use the money for its counselling services as well as other programmes for seniors.
These include its Expressive Therapeutic Group Work, which makes use of activities such as art to get seniors to express themselves through the pieces they create instead of through words.
