The SPD Ability Walk 2017 attracts more than 1,500 supporters

Rain or shine, the participants of this year’s SPD Ability Walk were determined to complete the 3km course at Chinese Garden on 27 August. More than 1,500 participants turned up decked in the event’s bright yellow t-shirts, adding vibrancy to the grey weather.

The event was organised to raise funds to provide for programmes and services that enable and empower people with disabilities to be independent and self-reliant. The Walk also provides an opportunity for everyone, with or without disabilities, to walk together, which also serves as a platform to promote inclusion and raise awareness of disabilities.

“SPD’s vision is to build an inclusive community where everyone is a part. The SPD Ability Walk is a chance for everyone to come together, have fun, and at the same time discover and be attuned to the needs of people with disabilitiesOne of SPD’s focuses has been to promote inclusion. As we help to enable people with disabilities through our programmes so that they can integrate back into society, we must also encourage Singaporeans to be ready to accept and include them,” says Ms Chia Yong Yong, president of SPD.

Among the participants were people with disabilities and families who came to support the event. Here we bring you some of the event highlights:

Volunteers from Fuhua Secondary School cheered the participants on as they made their way towards the finish line. They were an enthusiastic bunch, and brought smiles to many faces.

The Walk presented a golden opportunity for friends and families to come together and have a good time for a good cause. There were heartwarming sights of participants helping those without umbrellas, offering shelter from the drizzle.

SPD’s president Ms Chia Yong Yong and the Guest-of-Honor Mr Desmond Lee, Second Minister for Home Affairs and National Development, also enjoyed the Walk together with the participants.

The Walk featured volunteer buskers that volunteers, who charmed the participants with old tunes such as “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and “It’s a Small, Small World”. Three of the other volunteers that helped out were recipients of scholarship programmes administered by SPD. Mohamed Najulah, Ang Chin Hao and Tan Jun Long, recipients of scholarships administered by SPD, also turned up to help, who helped to distributinge drinks and snacks at one of the carnival booths. Having been beneficiaries themselves, the trio have always possessed a desire to give back, having been beneficiaries themselves.

“I am grateful for the help and support given to my family and me over the years, and that would not have been possible if not for from the generosity of the community. Therefore, I am very happy to be here today at the SPD Ability Walk, to play my part and contribute back in this small way,”

said 21-year-old Najulah.

A carnival waited all at the end of the Walk comprising various activities, snacks and other goodies.

The fervent support and enthusiasm of all the supporters, including TechnipFMC, Jurong Port and Phillips 66, made the Walk a success. We take this opportunity to thank everyone for coming down, supporting our cause and being a part of this picture of inclusion.

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The SPD Ability Walk 2017 attracts more than 1,500 supporters