It was a sea of purple as the crowd gathered in support of inclusion and the celebration of the different abilities of persons with special needs. For the fifth year running, the Purple Parade continued its movement at Suntec City on 28 October with close to 10,000 participants.

A supporter of the Purple Parade and what it stands for, SPD was a member of the working committee for the second year. SPD was also one of the 50 contingents that took part in the parade march, along with its parade partner, Hewlett Packard (HP) Enterprise.

“It was a great partnership once again between Hewlett Packard Enterprise and SPD for this year’s Purple Parade. It has helped raised greater awareness among our employees and we hope to continue to promote and support inclusion in the community,” said Mr Tony Gui, Country Lead, Singapore Social Impact Committee, Hewlett Packard Enterprise.

The 100-odd member strong contingent from SPD and Hewlett Packard Enterprise, which called themselves “Pluckymon”, comprised of staff from both organisations as well as clients from the Day Activity Centre (DAC), Sheltered Workshop and the Transition To Employment programme.

“Plucky” refers to having or showing determination and courage in the face of difficulties, and the term “Pluckymon” was inspired by Pokemon, a popular animation and video game, which also embodies these values – care, integrity and teamwork.
To be a “Pluckymon”, one has a “never-give-up” attitude, continuously working in partnerships with the community to unlock the potential of people with disabilities, and help them towards greater heights.

Staff from Hewlett Packard Enterprise befriended and accompanied the clients to the carnival ground and the march pass, wanting to ensure that the clients enjoyed themselves. It was particularly memorable for one of the clients.
“It was my birthday, and I had fun! It was a great afternoon,” said Mr Ernest Wong, DAC client.

“The Purple Parade is bigger and better this year. It was well-organised and the needs of participants with disabilities are well taken care of,”

added Ms Tan Li Li a craftsman at SPD’s Sheltered Workshop.