Events

CFS’ LaLa Café Series: Wellness Talk and Mindfulness Practice

Events

Home Resources Events CFS’ LaLa Café Series: Wellness Talk and Mindfulness Practice

Events

CFS’ LaLa Café Series: Wellness Talk and Mindfulness Practice

John Doe

CFS’ LaLa Café is a virtual place to learn, socialise and rejuvenate for everyone at CFS. It is conducted by our employees, partners, and vendors to cultivate a growth-driven and dynamic work environment.

For the latest edition of LaLa Café, we invited Desmond Lim, psychotherapist, wellness advocate, and coach from Mind Culture to share about Mental Wellness and Mindfulness Practice.

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A poster for the Giving Week event, showcasing the spirit of generosity and community involvement.

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Desmond shared that deep breathing exercises can help reduce anxiety, stress, fatigue, difficulty sleeping, and physical discomfort. He advised staff to look out for any symptoms of burnout such as; feeling tired most of the time, falling sick easily, having frequent headaches and muscle pains, change in appetite and sleeping habits, a sense of failure, and loss of motivation.

To avoid burnout, practising self-care by doing things that make us happy is important — it helps boost our emotional well-being. Self-care activities also increase self-esteem, higher productivity, and motivation. We were reminded to take care of ourselves first before taking care of others.

He ended the workshop with breathing and meditation exercises. To see more, watch the video demonstrations below:

CFS takes pride in advocating good mental health practices amongst our employees and supports Mental Health Funds such as Mind the Gap 200.

To find out more about our programmes and start your giving journey, visit us here.

Related Topics For You: EVENTS, HEALTH, MENTAL WELLBEING, VIDEO

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News

CFS Receives National Award – COVID-19 Resilience Certificate

John Doe

CFS has been awarded the COVID-19 Resilience Certificate, which recognises the contributions of organisations that played a vital role in addressing the challenges posed by COVID-19. Our CEO, Catherine Loh, received the award at the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) Family National Day COVID-19 Investiture on October 10, 2023.

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As COVID-19 cases began to rise in February 2020, a member of the CFS board was deeply disturbed by reports of mistreatment towards healthcare workers. Anticipating the imminent health and economic challenges that lay ahead, CFS quickly recognised that action was needed.

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Set up during the covid-19 pandemic, Sayang Sayang Fund raised $9.7m over three years, supporting over 400,000 lives
应疫情设立 Sayang Sayang基金三年筹970万元惠及40万人

“On February 11, 2020, we launched a Community Impact Fund which we named the “Sayang Sayang Fund”,” said Catherine Loh, CEO. “We felt this was the best and fastest way to respond to emerging needs as the crisis unfolded. It provided an easy way for donors to support those in need while CFS worked with sector partners to determine the type of support each community needed.”

The amount of support that poured in was heartening. We attained our initial target of $500,000 in just 10 days, and ultimately received $9.7 million from over 5,000 donors.

Thanks to our generous donors, we were able to collaborate with charities, ministries and social service agencies to deliver urgent assistance to those in need.

Making a Positive Impact on Affected Communities

In response to rapidly shifting circumstances, CFS acted through a wide array of initiatives and programmes, disbursing $9.7 million to aid 401,000 beneficiaries and 276 community organisations between 2020 to 2023. Here’s a glimpse into our efforts:

Healthcare Workers: Our initial action was to lift the spirits of nurses, doctors and ancillary healthcare workers by providing taxi vouchers and care packages sponsored by donations from the public and transport companies, ComfortDelGro, Gojek and Grab.

Elderly: When social distancing measures were mandated, the Sayang Sayang Fund (SSF) provided funds to several charity programmes to ensure the well-being of the elderly. These included educating them on infection control, reducing loneliness among elderly living alone, and ensuring low-income seniors had access to food despite disruptions in the supply chain.

Students: During school closure and home-based learning, students on financial assistance lost access to subsidised school meals. In partnership with the Ministry of Education, the SSF supplemented their allowances to ensure they continued to receive proper nutrition.

Migrant Workers: During the circuit breaker period, the SSF distributed mobile phone top-ups to migrant workers in lockdown who had insufficient balances in their accounts, so they could stay in contact with their families.

Rough Sleepers: Funds were disbursed to AMKFSC Community Services, Good News Community Services, Methodist Welfare Services, and New Hope Community Services to establish more shelters and assist in relocating rough sleepers to safe accommodations.

Learn more about the Sayang Sayang Fund.

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John Doe

The competition was organised by City Harvest Community Services Association and received support from FUN! Fund, a Community Impact Fund jointly established by the Community Foundation of Singapore and the Agency for Integrated Care, with the aim of addressing social isolation among the elderly.

Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Communications and Information & Ministry of National Development Mr Tan Kiat How attended the event. He encouraged the elderly to stay physically and mentally well, as well as urging them to participate in community activities and enjoy their golden years together.

Learn more about FUN! Fund at https://www.cf.org.sg/fun-fund/.

The programme provides the children with a non-threatening platform to connect with peers and have positive conversations. In addition, it exposes them to different people who can assist to broaden their perspectives.
L.S., a volunteer with the Reading Odyssey programme @ Spooner Road

中心“常胜将军”胡锦盛：比赛限时反应要快

现年92岁的胡锦盛是最年长的参赛者。自2017年退休后，他几乎每天都到活跃乐龄中心报到，从此爱上了玩拉密，每次可玩上三个小时，在中心是“常胜将军”。

Related Topics For You: EVENTS, HEALTH, MENTAL WELLBEING, VIDEO

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Events

Visit by Moscow-based non-profit organisations

John Doe

A Russian delegation comprising heads of various non-profit organisations and foundations recently visited the Community Foundation of Singapore (CFS) as part of a study trip organised by the NGOs Resource Centre of the City of Moscow.

The group’s main purpose was to meet with local non-profit organisations, exchange views and experiences as well as understand the impact the non-profit sector has on Singapore’s sustainability and quality of life.

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The group represented various Moscow-based non-profit organisations providing support to disabled, sick or disadvantaged children, war veterans, environmental issues as well as promoting volunteerism and inclusive education and training with the help of new technologies.

During the lively two-hour session, we shared about our work with donors and charitable organisations, governance and marketing outreach. The participants and CFS team exchanged views on government support, tax benefits, fundraising and sustaining donor support – all of which are crucial to ensuring the long term survival of non-profit organisations around the world. The group was particularly interested in learning about how endowment funds generate sustainability for charities. They were also impressed by our recent ‘Portraits of generosity‘ campaign and how the role of marketing was important to achieving awareness and growth.

All in, it was an engaging and enriching experience with both sides gaining a better understanding of the common challenges non-profit organisations face. We hope to take up on the group’s invitation to make an exchange trip to Moscow one day

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John Doe

Learn more about FUN! Fund at https://www.cf.org.sg/fun-fund/.

The programme provides the children with a non-threatening platform to connect with peers and have positive conversations. In addition, it exposes them to different people who can assist to broaden their perspectives.
L.S., a volunteer with the Reading Odyssey programme @ Spooner Road

中心“常胜将军”胡锦盛：比赛限时反应要快

Related Topics For You: EVENTS, HEALTH, MENTAL WELLBEING, VIDEO

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Stories Of Impact

Seniors Colabs learning journey #1: Empower Ageing – mind over body for a better quality of life

John Doe

Ageing isn’t something most people think positively about. Think of old age and most people – especially seniors themselves – would naturally fixate on the negatives. Yet for young charity Empower Ageing, it’s been changing entrenched mindsets with a series of innovative programmes and solutions – including a clarion call to seniors to ‘go for your mountain’.

On a learning journey for Seniors Colabs, representatives from various sectors joined Empower Ageing at Cornerstone Senior Centre in Cheng San. During the ice-breaking session, Colabs participants were challenged by Empower Ageing’s founder Isaiah Chng to reconsider their assumptions about old age. Instead of viewing old age as a time of disempowerment and frailty, can seniors be encouraged to think differently?

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Bright moon illuminating serene city park.

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The morning kicked off with an exercise session conducted by Empower Ageing with over 40 seniors from the community. The session was intentionally crafted to build a sense of empowerment, with facilitators encouraging seniors to take active steps in maintaining their physical health. A lively sense of group camaraderie could be observed, as seniors gathered in groups to support each other in performing a series of exercises designed to enhance their strength and mobility. Designed with the concept of ‘reaxing’, the session featured exercise equipment that trains seniors to physically respond to unpredictable situations in daily life. At times, individual seniors would themselves take the intiative to teach fellow members and newcomers the exercise moves

During the discussions that followed, Colabs participants were impressed by the engagement levels of the seniors, many of whom attend the sessions five times per week. One key learning point for Colabs participants was the importance of collecting and tracking data, so that the seniors could see the tangible physical improvements from the exercise sessions. Another key learning point was the importance of how integrating positive mindsets about ageing helps seniors build confidence and motivation.

Colabs participants were also exposed to new models and concepts of empowering seniors in the community. These include integrating physical rehabilitation with the daily life and environment of the seniors, and the GYM challenge that inspires seniors to go beyond their physical limitations.

Ageing well is critically relevant to all of us – not just those who have already entered into their golden years. The Colabs learning journey empowered participants with a new concept of successful ageing, with a view of applying insights to their own organisations.

Colabs is a philanthropic initiative by the Community Foundation of Singapore and the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre. It drives collaboration by bringing together the public, private and social sectors to tackle complex social issues. It enables philanthropists, businesses, non-profits and sector experts to collectively build insights and co-create solutions for lasting change.

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John Doe

Learn more about FUN! Fund at https://www.cf.org.sg/fun-fund/.

The programme provides the children with a non-threatening platform to connect with peers and have positive conversations. In addition, it exposes them to different people who can assist to broaden their perspectives.
L.S., a volunteer with the Reading Odyssey programme @ Spooner Road

中心“常胜将军”胡锦盛：比赛限时反应要快

Related Topics For You: EVENTS, HEALTH, MENTAL WELLBEING, VIDEO

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Events

Singapore Tatler: CRIB X CFS Legacy Building And Impact Series

John Doe

Investors and like-minded philanthropists invited by CRIB and the Community Foundation of Singapore gathered at Grand Park Orchard for a panel discussion on November 1, where father-daughter duos Richard and Rebecca Eu, and Keith and Sharon Chua shared their insights and personal anecdotes towards charity and legacy building. The event culminated in a cocktail session as guests indulged in canapés and drinks at the bar, over conversations with old friends and new. Read more.