They promote community bonding, social work, the arts
By Phua Mei Pin, The Straits Times, 6 Apr 2012
PEOPLE with ideas for community bonding, ambitions to be social workers and a wish to excel in the study of the arts have received a boost from the Prime Minister.
PM Lee Hsien Loong said yesterday he is donating $350,000 to set up three new awards to promote community bonding, encourage Singaporeans to take up social service careers and recognise young art talents.
The awards are a gift to the community that accompany his yearly donations to a range of community, grassroots, youth, arts and welfare organisations, he said in a statement yesterday.
These awards cap a five-year streak of donations he has been making since 2007, when a ministerial pay rise brought his salary from $2.5 million to $3.1 million a year. PM Lee had announced then that he would donate the difference in his salary to charitable organisations for five years.
Since 2007, his donations have gone to an education endowment fund for students, community hospitals, nursing homes, voluntary welfare organisations, as well as sports and cultural bodies.
This time, the lion's share of $200,000 goes towards a Community Initiatives Fund (CIF) that will sponsor ground-up projects from grassroots organisations under the People's Association (PA).Since 2007, his donations have gone to an education endowment fund for students, community hospitals, nursing homes, voluntary welfare organisations, as well as sports and cultural bodies.
PA will form a panel of grassroots leaders to consider proposals from constituencies and award funding to promising community projects.
The second group of beneficiaries is holders of the National Council of Social Service's (NCSS) social service scholarships.
Up to two awards of $10,000 each will be given each year - from the PM's $100,000 donation - to top social service scholarship holders to pay for their research and project work.
The third group to benefit will be the top student of each graduating class from the School of the Arts (Sota).
Starting next year, Sota will award, out of the PM's $50,000 donation, $1,500 in cash, a certificate and plaque to each year's valedictorian.
Mr Lee said he hoped his donations would help Singapore be a maturing society with 'a good balance between our material and non-material goals'.
'Our citizens must be ready to step forward to help others and serve the community, whether through voluntarism, philanthropy or social enterprises.
'Such empathy and cohesion will underpin our continued progress as a nation.'
No comments:
Post a Comment