SINGAPORE - Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) kicked off its 35th birthday celebrations with a cake and cheque for $426,000 at an anniversary concert on Thursday afternoon (Aug 22).
The cheque was a donation to the Community Chest and was presented by the chairman of SPH and SPH Foundation, Dr Lee Boon Yang, to Mr Phillip Tan, chairman of the Community Chest.
The money will go to the Special Education Financial Assistance (SPED) scheme and 20 charities, to support children with special needs, vulnerable seniors and disadvantaged families.
Of the amount, $76,000 was raised from SPH's "Double the Love" fund-raising campaign that took place from May to July this year. Every donation made was matched dollar for dollar by SPH and SPH Foundation.
To mark the publisher's 35th anniversary, SPH and SPH Foundation raised its donation to $350,000, bringing the total to $426,000.
At the concert held at Capitol Theatre, Dr Lee, Mr Tan and other guests were welcomed with a rousing opening performance by SMU Samba Masala, a percussion troupe from Singapore Management University.
Dr Lee, all smiles, was joined on stage by SPH's board of directors, including chief executive officer Ng Yat Chung and deputy CEO Anthony Tan, for a cake-cutting ceremony.
Three top donors of the "Double the Love" campaign were honoured, too.
Mr Seow Choke Meng, business consultant at SPH, Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP (represented by Mr Abdul Jabbar) and WongPartnership LLP (represented by Mr Lam Chung Nian) received tokens of appreciation on stage for donating $10,000 each.
The concert that followed showcased four home-grown musical acts: SMU Samba Masala, Chinese chamber ensemble Ding Yi Music Company, young singing group K-Aos from talent academy Academie of Stars, and acapella group MICappella, which closed the show with vocal medleys.
About 900 people attended the concert, which is part of the SPH Gift of Music series.
Dr Lee said in a statement: "As we celebrate Singapore's bicentennial year, we are grateful for the support of many Singaporeans in the last 35 years. It is thus with heartfelt thanks that we are marking our 35th anniversary with a donation to charities to promote a caring and compassionate society."
