Making a difference in the lives of others

Mr Dhanabalan, Chairman of the YMCA Advisory Council

Mr Stephen Loh, President, YMCA of Singapore,

Mr Peter Tay, Chairman, YMCA Giving Gala 2014,

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, 

1. I am happy to be here at the YMCA Giving Gala 2014. It is very good to see so many familiar faces and so many people here in support of a good cause. 

2. I've had the privilege to personally experience the good work being done by the YMCA. I've seen the wonderful people in Y STARS performing at concerts, and attended many of your youth-related events, including the very successful Youth for Causes initiative and the recent Uni-Y dialogue. 
   

3. The YMCA does lots of good work in Singapore. But when we think about YMCA, sometimes people think about the song and the lyrics how it is fun to stay at the YMCA. And indeed that's how the YMCA started. It started out with a mission to provide low cost housing for rural young people migrating to the urban cities. That's why, more than a hundred years ago, YMCA built a lot of housing and programmes all over the world. And that's how the YMCA started. But the YMCA has grown, far more than just providing low-cost housing. For more than a century in Singapore, YMCA has been a leader in serving our community. Its programmes have touched the lives of our intellectually and physically challenged, abused and underprivileged children, our elderly, at-risk youths and many others. So I want to start by acknowledging all the good work that the YMCA has been doing and to also acknowledge the contributions of the entire team at YMCA – the board, management and staff, as well as the many volunteers. Thank you very much for all the good work that you are doing!  
   

4. Tonight's gala will certainly help to sustain the YMCA's efforts in the community, so let me add my encouragement to all of you to please contribute generously and I thank you all in advance for your support.
   

YMCA's role in encouraging giving

5. The spirit of giving is well and alive in Singapore. Day by day, we see more Singaporeans are donating to causes they care about. More are also volunteering their time to help those in need.

6. These are positive signs of how we are maturing as a nation. When we give and when we serve, we meet people in circumstances different from our own; we develop greater empathy and learn what it means to walk in the shoes of others; and we have a stronger sense of duty and responsibility for our fellow citizens. This binds us. This makes us a community.

7. We have worked hard over the years to promote this spirit of giving, and to build a fair and inclusive society in Singapore. This is something that comes under my ministry's purview, but it's work we cannot do by ourselves.

8. This is why I'm glad that we have partners like YMCA, which has been at the forefront of encouraging Singaporeans to give. YMCA has been steadily attracting more volunteers, which in turn increases its outreach to beneficiaries.

9. Last year, YMCA rallied some 7,000 volunteers to bring cheer and joy to its beneficiaries, both locally and around the region.

10. I'm especially glad that YMCA makes a special effort to reach out to youth volunteers. By volunteering with YMCA, our young people are given the opportunity to develop a sense of service towards society, and contribute in a meaningful way. 

11. Hwa Chong Institution is an institution the YMCA has been engaging for some time to initiate volunteer efforts among their students. Over the years, more than 500 HCI students have been involved in YMCA programmes, such as serving the elderly, or helping underprivileged communities overseas. The volunteering experience has inspired these youths to keep giving back to society and many of them have continued to participate in other YMCA programmes. 
    

Giving: a national effort

12.  These are just some examples of how YMCA nurtures and inspires our young people. In fact, there are many other examples, not just by YMCA but other organisations all over Singapore. This sense of giving and caring for the less-privileged is happening and it is a national effort. Every Singaporean must be involved. Everyone can play a part. 

13. This is the very spirit that our pioneers, our founding fathers had when Singapore became independent. When we started out with very little, our pioneers helped to build the nation and a better life for themselves and their children. They worked very hard for it and having achieved success, they saw the need to also uplift their fellow Singaporeans. 

14. Our pioneers contributed by building hospitals for the sick, and schools to provide opportunities for the next generation to learn and succeed. Today, we have several family foundations such as the Lee Foundation and Tan Chin Tuan Foundation that continue to support worthy causes.

15. The Government will also continue to do its part in cultivating this spirit of giving. For example, as part of our SG50 celebrations, we have launched the “Care and Share” movement. Under this movement, the Government will contribute $250 million in matching grants for contributions to the social service sector.

16. So every contribution to the sector will have double the impact because it will have one-to-one matching from the government, and voluntary welfare organisations will be able to channel more resources to improve capabilities and programmes for their beneficiaries. So that's another reason why you should donate more generously tonight.

17. This is the kind of partnership that we hope to build and achieve – to build a better society together with the government and community working together to help the poor, the vulnerable and the individuals in need. It is this spirit of fellowship and mutual support that is crucial in taking our nation forward. For a great society is defined not just by how well we do materially, but also how well we care for the less fortunate among us. 

18. All of you are here tonight because you believe in what the YMCA is doing – you want to support their good work, and give back to the community. 

19. I commend all of you in your contributions and efforts to make a difference in the lives of others. Perhaps some of you may think that what you do as an individual may not seem like much in the broader scheme of things. But no act of giving is too small, and all these little acts of kindness add up. Over time, I'm sure your acts of giving will inspire even more Singaporeans to join hands and hearts in this collective endeavour to build a more gracious and inclusive Home. Thank you and I wish all of you an enjoyable evening.