Growing a culture of contribution

Mr Richard Koong, Chairman of Lions Befrienders 

Distinguished Lions 

Lions Befrienders volunteers, donors and friends 

Good evening.
 

1. I am happy to be here on this special occasion to celebrate with you the spirit of giving. Many of you have given generously – of your time, talent and money – to support the work of the Lions Befrienders.

2. Community involvement is at the very heart of the Lions Befrienders' work, and it is only fitting that we take the time out to recognise supporters of Lions Befrienders for your dedication and commitment to brightening the lives of seniors in Singapore.

3. Helping the elderly and journeying with them through life's challenges is a worthy cause. The Lions Befrienders' vision of “a nation where every senior is active, healthy and happy” is one that I believe many of us share as well.

4. All of you here today – through volunteering your time, making donations, offering your skills and expertise – have made a difference to the lives of more than 5,500 needy seniors last year (2012). I would like to commend the staff of Lions Befrienders, the management committees and Board members, and all volunteers, donors and supporters for your hardwork and commitment in serving the community!

5. The recent Our Singapore Conversation (OSC) has shown that many Singaporeans aspire to live purposefully. I believe that a culture of contribution is very much a part of purposeful living – where people look beyond themselves and take the initiative to do something about issues they care about. As Winston Churchill once said, “We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give”.

6. I would like to share with you some thoughts on how we can all play a part in growing a culture of contribution in Singapore, inspired by the wonderful stories of the Lions Befrienders' supporters. 7 The first is on volunteer heroes, and how everyone has something to contribute. We see this in Mdm Tay Soon Cheh, who will be presented the Outstanding Centre Volunteer (Gold Award) later this evening. Mdm Tay is a housewife who has been a dedicated volunteer with the Lions Befrienders for over 8 years. She helps out at the Lions Befrienders Bendemeer Senior Activity Centre almost every day. Her responsibilities include visiting frail seniors to distribute food rations, accompany them to their medical appointments and take them out for outings. These may sound like simple tasks, but Mdm Tay has committed her time and effort to making their daily lives more enjoyable. To the seniors whom Mdm Tay serves, she is truly their heroine.

7. This evening, we celebrate Mdm Tay's tireless efforts and commitment to the community. She is not only a strong source of support for the staff of Lions Befrienders, but also a role model for other volunteers as well. Mdm Tay reminds us – and I quote Mother Teresa, that “we can do no great things, only small things with great love”.

8. We heard about the significant impact that an individual can make. What I would next like to share is on the power of a group, achieved through collaboration. When different stakeholders come together for a common cause, they can accomplish great things. Thanks to a partnership between Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP), Nextan Pte Ltd, SingTel and The New Paper, 500 seniors will have monitoring systems installed in their homes that will allow them to quickly use to call for help in times of emergencies.

9. Recognising that seniors living alone could be vulnerable, NP and Nextan developed an elderly monitoring system with non-intrusive wireless motion seniors. The system detects when a senior has not made any movement after a pre-programmed period of time, and sends an emergency SMS to the senior's caregiver. The device also has a call button which triggers an SMS alert to the caregiver during an emergency.

10. NP and Nextan did not do this alone. The New Paper raised over $1 million from the community to support this initiative. SingTel also came on board to sponsor $100,000 worth of prepaid SIM cards – a vital component used in the elderly monitoring system. 

11. I hope this project will inspire more companies and people sector organisations to work together on community projects – these can go the distance in addressing and transforming social needs in Singapore.

12. In closing, I would like to congratulate all award recipients and express my gratitude to volunteers, donors, corporate partners and Lions present here tonight. I hope that you will share your giving experiences with other Singaporeans, so that we can continue to grow a culture of contribution in Singapore. Together, we can strengthen the kampong spirit in our community, and build a more caring and compassionate society for all Singaporeans.