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Let us continue to sayang our community

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Home Resources News Let us continue to sayang our community

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Let us continue to sayang our community

John Doe

We have been overwhelmed by the generous show of support for our community-driven Sayang Sayang Fund; from private individual and corporate donors who donated to the fund directly or set up their own fund-raising pages, we have far surpassed our initial target.

We have given out transportation vouchers to hospitals and polyclinics and are now looking to support vulnerable communities especially impacted by COVID-19’s precautionary measures.

Ensuring A Brighter Future for Vulnerable Families and Children

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Like the seven thousand children from low-income families who are now at risk from losing access to meals provided in school with the implementation of home-based learning. That is our focus now.

And that is why the Sayang Sayang Fund remains open: to help make sure no one falls by the wayside during this challenging period.

We aim to achieve this by:

Supporting community-based emergency response funds for marginalised communities adversely affected by the COVID-19 situation.
Providing innovation solutions and research to better combat COVID-19.
Building capabilities that support charities’ operational and/or business continuity processes.

Your heart-warming outpouring of love truly brings to life the community spirit of the Sayang Sayang Fund. Thank you for your continuing support.

*The Sayang Sayang Fund is a community impact fund to care for the vulnerable in our community during times of national crises. To support the Fund, please visit giving.sg or email contactus@cf.org.sg.You can also donate via PayNow. All donations above $50 are tax deductible.

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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”。

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Stories Of Impact

Life after winning the 2020 Goh Soon Tioe Centenary Award: Natalie Koh’s pursuit of a career in musical excellence

John Doe

Winning the Goh Soon Tioe Centenary Award in 2020 was a pleasant surprise for talented violinist Natalie Koh, who was not usually recognised for her solo performances and had to prepare for the Award’s audition just after last year’s circuit breaker without any formal instruction.

“I am deeply honoured to have received the Goh Soon Tioe Centenary Award in 2020. Violin playing has always been something that I am very passionate about, although my growth and achievements have not always been a given,” says Natalie.

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“A lot of conscientious and diligent work was put into moulding myself into the musician that I am currently and that I am proud to be.”

Since then, the budding musician has kept herself busy and forged determinedly ahead in her musical career. These included performing in digital concert recordings, teaching the violin at Forte Musicademy as a private violin teacher, and engaging with the special needs community through various community art activities.

Apart from keeping a hectic schedule as a performer, Natalie also spends much time imparting her love of music to the next generation of budding musicians — serving as a Teaching Assistant in her Alma Mater, the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory, and as an Assistant Director for classical music concert recordings and productions by the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, alongside other local organisations.

The promising young musician was also able to present her solo recital at the Awards, for which she was extremely excited and thankful for, as her graduation recital was put off last year due to the pandemic’s restrictions. “Overall, I would say that my recital was a success, and I hope that I fared well as a representative on behalf of the Award and the music community,” Natalie recalls with pride.

The Award’s prize money has enabled Natalie to realise her dreams of going overseas to attain a Master’s in Violin Performance, which will broaden her horizons as a performing violinist, music educator and community artist. She hopes to take the experience and knowledge gained from the two years abroad and expand her musical practice upon her return to Singapore.

Natalie recognises that living and studying in Chicago will prove to be expensive, but with the $10,000 award money, she will be able to defray some of her living costs. With the reduced financial burden, the young musician will be able to focus on learning to the fullest of her abilities in the States.

The Goh Soon Tioe Award has supported yet another promising young musician in paving her way to a brighter future towards a career in music, and adding another valuable gem to the flourishing music scene in Singapore.

“I am deeply thankful for the recognition and the support from the Goh Soon Tioe Centenary Award and the Community Foundation of Singapore. This Award has raised my profile as an emerging musician in Singapore, and I sincerely hope that I can be one to shape and grow the classical music scene in Singapore,” says Natalie.

Read and learn more about Natalie’s first steps into music and how she grew to become the talented musician that she is here.

If you would like to contribute towards the arts or support causes that you are passionate about, please visit our website at https://www.cf.org.sg/.

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Stories Of Impact

Empowering Seniors to Age Well

June 18, 2024

By 2030, one in four Singaporeans will be 65 or older (Population in Brief, 2022), making Singapore a “super-aged” society. This significant demographic shift means that more people will be required to serve as caregivers, and demand for community services and healthcare support will rise. As our population ages, more emphasis is being placed on allowing seniors to age comfortably in their own homes and communities.

At the Community Foundation of Singapore (CFS), we believe seniors should be able to age with dignity, while pursuing meaningful activities, and having access to personalised care.

To this end, our donors support a range of programmes and activities designed to support seniors and their caregivers.

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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

Caregiving Welfare Association – Home Personal Care

In 2017, the Caregiving Welfare Association (CWA) introduced its Home Personal Care service which aims to provide long-term support for frail seniors living alone, and elderly couples without children. This is to address the growing need for personalised care among the elderly, particularly those without immediate family support.

Professional caregivers conduct comprehensive assessments of clients’ needs and assist with daily activities such as showering, housekeeping, and grocery shopping. They also engage clients in mind-stimulating activities, help with medication reminders, manage appointments, and offer respite care for primary caregivers.

One client, Madam Oh (not her real name), says the convenience and familiarity of receiving care at home has significantly reduced her stress and improved her mood.

Thanks to CWA's service, I can live more comfortably, confidently, and joyfully. Beyond the invaluable assistance, it's the warmth of companionship that truly touches my heart.

Mdm Oh

St Joseph’s Home – Dusk to Dawn Night Respite Programme

St Joseph’s Home offers several programmes, including their Dusk to Dawn Night Respite Programme. This allows families caring for an elder with conditions like dementia or sundowning syndrome to have some night respite. Clients can use the service a few nights a week or on an ad-hoc basis. The facility prioritises clients’ well-being by providing a restful environment and keeps them engaged and entertained.

Yong-en Care Centre – Home Care Service

To support seniors with limited mobility and chronic health conditions as they recover at home following a hospital discharge, the nurses and support staff at Yong-en Care Center’s Home Care Service closely monitor patients’ health, administer medications and medical procedures, and provide virtual support to patients and caregivers through tele-consultations. In addition to addressing medical needs, the staff also assist clients in navigating support systems to apply for necessary funding and subsidies, and coordinates with social service professionals from Yong-en or external agencies should follow-up be needed. A beneficiary of the Home Care Service shared the following thoughts: “When people ask about Yong-en, I would always tell them that the staff are great and really have the heart for seniors like me.”

Thanks to programmes like these, seniors in Singapore can receive quality care, empowering them to age in place with peace of mind. Another community-focused effort launched by CFS in partnership with the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) is the FUN! Fund. The FUN! fund supports initiatives that inject fun for seniors receiving Community Care services, helping them design novel and impactful programmes that boost the well-being of older adults. You can read more about the fund here.

To learn more about the causes we support and how to contribute, visit https://cf.org.sg/charities/causes-beneficiaries-we-support/

References

Population in brief 2022 (2022) The Strategy Group in the Prime Minister’s Office. Available at: https://www.strategygroup.gov.sg/files/media-centre/publications/population-in-brief-2022.pdf

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News

LIFT (Learning Initiatives for Employment) Community Impact Fund – Turning lives around, one step at a time

John Doe

Nothing in life prepares a youth for a negative doctor’s report.

Four years ago, in his second year of polytechnic, Jerry Tan experienced a stroke caused by a brain aneurysm that paralysed the left side of his body. He had to undergo three brain surgeries as well as physical therapy, staying in the hospital for five to six months.

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Jerry recounted his experience, “The doctor commented that he was lucky to be alive and even survive without becoming vegetative, as two aneurysms had burst in my brain. However, this incident left me with a limited function of my left arm and affected vision in both of my eyes.”

With his current disabilities, it would have been tough for him to obtain a job, especially since his studies were also put on hold. His turning point came when he received assistance from the Learning Initiatives for Employment (LIFT) Community Impact Fund (CIF). The LIFT Fund, managed by the Community Foundation of Singapore (CFS), provides social enterprise funding to enable disadvantaged groups to obtain training which will make them more employable.

The LIFT Fund had partnered with social enterprises Bettr Barista and Project Dignity, allowing for socially disadvantaged people to obtain subsidies in their training fees and to pick up both hard and soft skills which would better aid them in securing employment. From April 2020 to March 2021, the LIFT Fund saw 115 people to receiving training at either Bettr Barista Coffee Academy or Dignity Kitchen, of which 91 participants completed the full training course. Of those who had successfully completed the course, 73 people were successfully hired, with 55 managing to remain employed for more than three months. Jerry himself was a beneficiary of the LIFT Fund who eventually went on to work in a Japanese restaurant for about a year, before returning to Dignity Kitchen as a cashier due to the impact of Covid-19.

Joyce Teo, Deputy CEO of CFS shared “CFS mainly focused on these two social enterprises as they felt that both enterprises understood the needs of employers in the catering industry and had also achieved certain results in training and job matching for the disadvantaged. CFS hopes to provide them with long-term funding so they can expand their assistance to those in need, as well as conduct more systematic training to strengthen the skills of the trainees.”

She also hopes that more of the public would actively donate to the LIFT Fund and help those in need, especially when they open up the fundraising to their networks. If you would like to support someone in their journey towards sustained employment opportunities, please visit our donation drive on Giving.sg.

This translated article was originally published by Lianhe Zaobao.

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Opinion

Giving mental health a boost – why it matters

John Doe

When the pandemic hit, seemingly overnight, daily routines and livelihoods were forever changed. Children could no longer play outdoors; youths saw lost time with friends, school, graduations and more; while adults straddle an ever-changing array of challenges – from coping with loss of work to additional care-giving duties.