SPH Foundation marks its 10th anniversary with a host of events

Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) Foundation will be marking its 10th anniversary this year by adopting the Amazon Flooded Forest, a key highlight at the River Safari, and by launching a series of programmes.

Dr Lee Boon Yang, Chairman of SPH Foundation, will be officially launching the Amazon Flooded Forest on May 29. The exhibit, which is home to the world's largest freshwater aquarium, showcases the annual flooding of the South American rainforest created during the rainy season.

At the launch, Dr Lee will present $200,000 to 10 charities serving needy children and youth as part of SPH Foundation's annual charity cheque presentation. SPH will donate another $200,000 to 10 charities serving the elderly.

On the same day, the Foundation will also be launching the new home for Inuka - Singapore's well-loved polar bear - at the Singapore Zoo. The new home will be more than four times the size of Inuka's previous exhibit.

On top of that, the Foundation has also planned a series of activities to mark its 10th anniversary.

A keen supporter of arts and education, it had launched in March a nationwide creative writing competition called YOUth Write in collaboration with IN, a student publication by The Straits Times, to encourage secondary school students to excel in writing. Results of the competition, which attracted close to 1,000 entries, will be announced at an awards presentation ceremony on May 31 at SPH News Centre auditorium.

For the first time this year, the Lim Kim San Memorial Scholarship, named after the former executive chairman of SPH, will be extended to local undergraduates reading humanities. The scholarship is awarded to Singaporeans from low-income families studying languages in local universities. This year's scholarship recipients will be announced at a ceremony on July 19.

The Foundation has also been supporting other worthy causes such as the SPH Foundation Inter Primary School Tchoukball Championships in April and November, and the SPH Foundation National Para-Swimming Championship for the disabled in September.

Said Dr Lee: "Over the past 10 years, we have helped a variety of causes and served many needs. We are the trail blazers in a number of creative initiatives, such as the SPH Foundation Arts Fund that benefits both the arts and charity sectors, and the Special Projects to Understand Nature (SUN) Club visits to enable special needs students to get close to nature.

"SPH Foundation will continue to look out for opportunities to transform and improve lives in the next decade and beyond."

The SPH Foundation Arts Fund, which was launched in 2011, will treat over 1,000 beneficiaries from different charities to quality arts performances by six local arts groups this year. About 300 disabled and special needs students will also visit Singapore's parks with the help of National Parks Board, as part of the SUN Club programme throughout this year.

A registered charity and an Institution of Public Character, SPH Foundation was first set up as the Press Foundation of Singapore in January 2003 and renamed Singapore Press Holdings Foundation in May 2005. Since its inception, it has given more than $12 million to a wide variety of worthy causes in the areas of education, charity, arts and culture, nature and conservation, community and sports.

A full list of the Foundation's activities can be found on www.sphfoundation.org.sg

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