Stories of impact

Is dementia an inevitable part of aging? Can nothing can be done to change its course? Dementia patients are oft-times negatively perceived as ‘senile’ or ‘confused’, with little measures taken to empower patients to maintain an active mind. Apex Harmony Lodge views each patient as someone who can be empowered to live with dignity and well-being.

Located in an enclave of public rented flats in central Singapore, the Spooner Road centre is housed amidst a transient, vulnerable community of over 300 families. Many families often arrive here after losing their home due to financial issues. The physical isolation of these flats means everyday resources are not easily accessible here. This led Students Care Service to start the Spooner Road Project in mid-2015.

The Tabung Project is a simple yet inventive micro-savings programme by the Healthy Start Child Development Centre (HSCDC), a childcare centre by Beyond Social Services serving children from disadvantaged backgrounds. The idea is simple: every child brings home a tabung (“savings bank” in Malay) where family members are encouraged to contribute. Every month, each child’s savings is then poured into a community savings pool.

The LEAD Academy was set up in 2014 as a collaboration between CampVision, UBS Singapore and the Community Foundation of Singapore to impact marginalised youths in neighborhood schools. LEAD is a platform that partners youths with professional volunteers to develop leadership abilities and cultivate effective communication skills.

At a time when after school tuition and enrichment programmes have become the new norm, children from less affluent backgrounds are increasingly disadvantaged by their inability to afford these lessons. KidsExcel aims to tackle this by providing primary school students under the Ministry of Education (MOE)’s Financial Assistance Scheme access to a year-long, well-rounded enrichment programme.

EDIS is an international economic development company that provides strategic advice to other countries by leveraging on its experience in Singapore. Its CSR initiative EDIS Cares creates opportunities for underprivileged children in Singapore by helping them to reach their full potential.

The Leading Foundation Teacher Award was established in 2014 to honour passionate and dedicated teachers in early childhood and special needs education. Organised by the National Institute of Education (NIE), the Leading Foundation Teacher Award is the first award in Singapore to recognise early childhood and special needs educators.

DaySpring Residential Treatment Centre – which is partly supported by CFS donors – provides shelter, therapy and treatment to teenage girls who were victims of trauma or abuse. The centre provides a safe, caring and structured environment to help these girls recover and eventually get on with their lives. Here’s a letter to thank a donor for the difference she has made.

In 2011 when Mr Nathan published his memoir ‘An Unexpected Journey: Path to the Presidency,’ he established the S R Nathan Education Upliftment Fund to help students by providing them with the financial assistance to keep them in school and enable them to pursue their tertiary education. Mr Nathan believed that education is an important social leveler which provides disadvantaged students an opportunity to seek a better life.

Goh Soon Tioe (1911–1982) is remembered as one of Singapore’s greatest musical pioneers. Besides being an accomplished violinist, conductor and teacher, he brought hundreds of international performers to the Singapore stage. In 2011, in celebration of his birth centenary year, his family established a fund to support talented young classical musicians who wish to build a career in music.