Giving In So Many Ways

SPD’s 50th Annual General Meeting (AGM) was held on 30 August 2014 at the SPD Ability Centre where a new Board was elected for the term 2014 to 2016:

A school teacher in Washington, Jackie Mutcheson, offered these insightful words “It takes each of us to make a difference for all of us.” At SPD, we often experience the generosity of those who contribute a bit of themselves to improve the lives of others. Here are some events over the last few weeks that have warmed our hearts.

ExxonMobil Running Carnival

The ExxonMobil Running Carnival is an annual event organised by ExxonMobil and supported by its employees and their families to raise funds for charity. We are very happy to be the beneficiary of this run since 2011.

Photo of our beneficiaries at the event

This year, more than 800 ExxonMobil employees and their families gathered in good spirits for the event held at Gardens by the Bay on 6 September. Before the run, some volunteered in bringing SPD’s beneficiaries present at the event to the Flower Dome and Cloud Forest for a visit.

Together with senior executives from ExxonMobil, Guest-of-Honour Ms Low Yen Ling, Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Social and Family Development and Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth and Mayor of South West District, presented a cheque of $40,000 to SPD which also included donations from ExxonMobil that was matched to employees’ donations.

To show their appreciation, 15 beneficiaries from our Day Activity Centre performed “Amigo Para Siempre” (Friends for Life) and the Beijing Olympics theme song, “You and Me” for the participants with the Singapore skyline as a backdrop.

Accepting the cheque on SPD’s behalf, Ms Katherine Sng, Assistant Director of Community Partnership, said: “The management and staff of ExxonMobil have once again gone out of their way to make the event a memorable one for our beneficiaries. We are also very grateful to them for designating the funds raised to helping people with disabilities through SPD.”

Photo of 15 beneficiaries from our Day Activity Centre performing “Amigo Para Siempre” (Friends for Life) and the Beijing Olympics theme song, “You and Me” for the participants at ExxonMobil Running Carnival

Ice Bucket Challenges

It was a literally cool way of donating to SPD as the Ice Bucket Challenge went viral online in August and we were nominated as the beneficiary by some Ice Bucket Challenge supporters.

Ministry of Funny and National Serviceman Xavier Ong started the ball rolling by setting up their donation pages on GiveAsia. Xavier took it a step further by organising an event to garner more support and donations at Orchard Cineleisure.

Ian Toh, Norman Ng and Jeremy Lee of 3:16 Church also decided to do a video of their challenge outside SPD and posted it online. An anonymous donor pledged S$0.20 to SPD for every ‘like’ the video garnered.

On the corporate front, our long-time corporate partner StarHub issued an Ice Bucket Challenge to SPD which our executive director, Mr Abhimanyau Pal, accepted. This is how he chose to do it.

We would also like to thank individuals who took the dunk and donated to SPD.

Photo of Starhub Staff attempting the ice bucket challenge

SingHealth President’s Challenge 2014

A board of empty hearts stand at the lobby of SPD Ability Centre in need of help to fill up.

This is part of the SingHealth President’s Challenge 2014 initiative where members of the public are invited to be a part of the campaign by buying a heart-shaped pledge sticker and penning down their well-wishes on it before affixing it onto the board. This will go towards the building of a visual display of hearts called the Heart Pillar Wrap. Every donation will go towards the SingHealth’s President’s Challenge 2014, of which SPD is a beneficiary. It could also help create history in the Singapore Book of Records for the “Largest Display of Pledge Stickers”. Purchase a pledge sticker for $5 a piece at the SPD reception today.

SingHealth President Challenge 2014 poster

Mooncakes at Grand Mandarin

SPD was one of 17 voluntary welfare organisations to be invited to Grand Mandarin Restaurant’s inaugural mooncake charity event on 30 August 2014 where Dr Lily Neo, Member of Parliament for Tanjong Pagar GRC, was the Guest-of-Honour. She presented 120 boxes of mooncakes, courtesy of the restaurant, to Tommy Tng, Head of Operations at SPD’s Sheltered Workshop. Trainees from the workshop were delighted with the mooncakes surprise, making their Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations complete.

Dr Lily Neo, Member of Parliament for Tanjong Pagar GRC presenting the mooncake to Mr Tommy Tng, Head of Operations at SPD’s Sheltered Workshop

Dr Lily Neo, Member of Parliament for Tanjong Pagar GRC presenting the mooncake to Mr Tommy Tng, Head of Operations at SPD’s Sheltered Workshop