Happenings & News

Singapore Red Cross is organising its Sunday Sales again at Red Cross House!

On 26 July 2015 (Sunday) from 11am to 4pm, shoppers can get new and pre-loved fashion, recreational, electronics and household items at a bargaining price while doing good.

So, mark your calendar for this upcoming Sales date and share this exciting news with your family and friends.

All sales proceeds from this bazaar will go towards the following local causes:

– Red Cross Home for the Disabled is a residential home for those with multiple disabilities, and operates a Day Activity Centre providing day care services.

– FoodAid is a programme where we provide monthly rations of nutritious food to the disadvantaged in Singapore.

– TransportAid is a service which helps the elderly and disabled from low-income homes get to and from their healthcare service facilities, such as medical treatments, rehabilitation and day activity centres.

For more information, please go to www.redcross.sg or like the Singapore Red Cross on Facebook (sgredcross).

Enduring 3 deg C nights, sandstorms and snowstorms were among the challenges faced by two Singapore students who took part in the Gobi March Desert Race 2015 from May 31 to June 7 in Inner Mongolia, China.

The National University of Singapore students from Tembusu College – John Low, 22, a Year 1 life sciences student; and Alexis Lee, 19, a Year 1 business student – did it to raise money for charity.

Their 250km trekking journey was in aid of the Riding For The Disabled Association of Singapore (RDA).

The pair aimed to raise $12,000, which would sponsor a horse for an entire year, and fell short of this by less than $100. Their endeavour was shared on Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s Facebook page on May 17, a week before their departure to the Gobi Desert.

RDA Singapore is the only registered charity here that provides horse-riding therapy, or hippotherapy, to those with special needs. Hippotherapy aims to help those with physical and learning disabilities to pick up crucial motor and social skills.

During the trek, John hurt both his Achilles tendons, and had to withdraw after completing 130km of the race.

Alexis managed to complete about 240km, while the remaining distance was cancelled due to a sandstorm.

Said Mr Daniel Chua, executive director of RDA Singapore: “It is not every day you get people who say they will run across Gobi Desert to raise funds for your charity.

“I applaud their spirit for undertaking such a challenge and I thank them for supporting our free horse-riding therapy for those with disabilities,” he added.

The charity’s donation portal (tiny url.com/horsebackgobi) is open until June 30. All donations are tax-deductible.

Source: The Straits Times

At a time when he could have been plying the streets in search of more passengers, 62-year-old cabby Ang Kim Thye would be using his taxi to voluntarily deliver meals to the less-fortunate, or provide emergency taxi rides for NorthLight School students.

And in his latest act of helping others, Mr Ang, chairman of CabbyCare, ComfortDelGro’s charity group, today (June 18) shaved his head bald in support of children cancer patients, the second time he has done so.

This year marks the second time that CabbyCare — comprising 150 ComfortDelGro cabbies — is supporting Hair for Hope, an annual fundraising event for the Children’s Cancer Foundation (CCF).

At today’s event, 61 cabbies — 10 of whom were walk-ins — willingly shaved their locks to support the CCF. This year, CabbyCare will make a S$20,000 donation, which will be matched by another S$20,000 from ComfortDelGro. The total amount donated for the foundation is S$30,000 more than last year.

Mr Ang said: “This (initiative) is very meaningful as the children are innocent and they definitely need our support. We should continue this every year to allow them to feel a sense of support … We shouldn’t let this be a one-time event.”

Another taxi driver who shaved his head, 64-year-old Chng Meng Hoe, added: “I hope (the children) have a speedy recovery, and that we will give them the support to assimilate back to a normal childhood.”

Cabbie Kanapathy Shunmugam, 63, added that he was glad to be able to do his part to offer some financial support to the children cancer patients.

Like Mr Ang, the other two men also use their taxis to do volunteer work. Although ComfortDelgro reimburses the cabbies for the trips they make to transport food to low-income families or ferry the handicapped on return trips, the three men chose to donate the money they receive to CabbyCare to support the CCF.

Mr Ang said: “By doing this, we can spread the message to tell everyone that children with cancer need our support. We need to give them the faith they need (to carry on).”

Source: TODAY

The Lees, who own the Cambridge Road Hong Kong Roast Pork stall, have been feeding needy residents in the Pek Kio neighbourhood for the past 40 years. From just providing free meals to about 10 people a month, they now see about 140 monthly.

To address the problem of identifying who is really in need of a meal, they distribute 130 coupons to needy households in the neighbourhood every month. They make it a point to remember them during holidays as well.

“About 20 years ago when all the stalls used to be closed during Lunar New Year, the elderly would complain that they didn’t have food. So I thought I would drop by my stall to cook and pack about 10 to 20 packets for the elderly. It’s just a small thought on my part to give back to the community,” said Mrs Lee.

She added that she sometimes receives up to S$300 a month in donations from members of the public.

The stallowners’ act of kindness has been highlighted by the Chope Food for the Needy movement. It encourages people to go to hawker stalls and to pre-pay for meals for those unable to afford them.

A Facebook page for the movement made reference on Thursday (Jun 18) to a recent incident where McDonald’s staff at a Toa Payoh Hub outlet allegedly mocked an old woman who has been going around asking passers-by to buy her food. A post by one of the people behind Chope Food for the Needy said the episode should not give a bad impression about Singaporeans in general, and that they have come across “so many kind-hearted hawkers and generous ‘chopers'”.

Food from the Heart, a non-profit charity that aims to channel unsold bread and non-perishable items to the underprivileged has also seen greater support in recent years. It started off with donations from 34 bakeries that were channelled to 26 welfare homes. But now, it collects from 115 bakeries and hotels and channels them to over 150 welfare homes.

It also has 32 self-collection centres fanned islandwide reaching out to about 5,400 beneficiaries.

This number has ballooned from just one in 2003. The self-collection centres are set up in collaboration with Resident Committees, Family Service Centres and Senior Activities Centres who evaluate and recommend needy families for our weekly bread and monthly food rations. Rations handed out include unsold bread, collected non-perishable food items such as canned food, rice, oil, noodles, beverages, toiletries and household items.

Source: CNA