CLOSE TO S$400K GIFT BY PAP COMMUNITY FOUNDATION TO SUPPORT
Part of the donation will be used to gift each senior with practical items to ease their day to day living, like a foldable trolley or walking stick with an in-built chair.
SINGAPORE, 3 February 2022 – PAP Community Foundation (PCF) donated S$398,400 to Lions Befrienders, to support all 7,800 at-risk seniors who are under the charity’s eldercare
programmes and services. The cheque presentation was held today at Lions Befrienders Active Ageing Centre at Mei Ling Street and was graced by Ms Indranee Rajah, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, and member of the PCF Charity Management Committee. This is the first cash donation that PCF has made to Lions Befrienders.
The seniors under Lions Befrienders’ care are mostly living alone in rental flats with limited to no family support. As a result, they are more prone to be socially isolated. The pandemic has further aggravated their social, emotional, mental and physical health. Lions Befrienders support these seniors through their various programmes and services that help the seniors improve their quality of life.
The donation will be used to put together gift bags, aptly named “Bag of Love” for the seniors. Each bag will contain practical and more commonly requested items such as essential household items, pain-relief items and either a foldable trolley or a walking stick with an in-built chair. These items have been specially curated to ensure that the beneficiaries will be enabled to participate in community activities with higher ease, and that their emotional and social well-being is improved. More details of the items in Bag of Love can be found in Annex A.
The cheque presentation event will kickstart the distribution of the Bags of Love which will take place in phases across the next six months. The bags will be packed and distributed by Lions Befrienders’ centre staff and volunteers.
Minister Indranee Rajah gave an address at the event. She said, “As a charity foundation, PCF is committed to enhancing the well-being of the community by providing quality educational, senior care, welfare and community services. We believe in the power of collaborations in order to assist more families and individuals in need. Our partnership with Lions Befrienders is one such example.”
Other recent initiatives that the PCF Charity Division has embarked on include the Enhanced Headstart Fund to support PCF Sparkletots children from underprivileged families in their education; PCF Study Awards for polytechnic students; as well as donations to Breast Cancer Foundation and Samaritans of Singapore.
PCF previously collaborated with Lions Befrienders in December 2020. Children from PCF Sparkletots drew 6,000 season’s greeting cards and gave them to Lions Befrienders’ seniors to share the festive joy.
Quotes for media use by some beneficiaries from Lions Befrienders can be found in Annex B.
For further enquiries, please contact:
Amanda Moey
Email: amanda@aprw.asia
HP: +65 9747 0027
Shafeeqah Ahmad
Email: shafeeqah@aprw.asia
HP: +65 9090 2798
About PAP Community Foundation
PAP Community Foundation (PCF), a charitable foundation founded by the People’s Action Party (PAP) in 1986, runs social, educational and welfare programmes and activities for the community. PCF is committed to nurturing a multi-racial, fair, just and inclusive society by providing educational, welfare and community services island-wide. PCF is also recognised as a Great Place to Work® and Great Place to LearnTM by the Great Place to Work Institute. In 2021, it clinched first place in Asia’s Best WorkplacesTM in the category of ‘Large’ workplaces. It provides preschool services through PCF Sparkletots, which is the largest preschool operator in Singapore with almost 360 preschools and an enrollment of over 40,000 children. It also operates senior care centres through PCF Sparkle Care.
Annex A – Items in Bag of Love
Category
Items
Mobility aids & Carrier
Foldable trolley or Walking stick with an in-built chair
Food
3-in-1 Milo (Less Sweet), 3-in-1 Coffee, Biscuits
Household essentials
Shower gel, Handwash, Toothbrush, Toothpaste, Toilet roll, Liquid detergent
Health &
Wellness
Salonpas, Medicated oil
Annex B – Beneficiaries that are agreeable to be featured in the media
The seniors below are beneficiaries of Lions Befrienders.
Name and Brief Background
Quote
Mr Hassan Bin Abdul Haji, 100 years old
Mr Hassan lives alone after his wife passed away in 2016. He prefers to walk to the centre even though Lions Befrienders has a bus charter service (before COVID-19) to ferry frail seniors to the centre. He moves around with a walking stick. He has been visiting Lions Befrienders Active Ageing Centre at Mei Ling since 2001.
“I enjoy taking walks, it keeps me active. I will usually walk from my home to the Lions Befrienders Active Ageing Centre. The new walking stick with an in-built chair is useful for me. If I am tired, I can sit down to rest.”
Mr Ong Eng Ann, 85 years old
A positive person and enjoys being out and about despite his old age. He has been visiting Lions Befrienders Active Ageing Centre at Mei Ling since 2019. He usually moves around with an umbrella or walking stick for support.
“I am grateful to receive the Bag of Love from PCF. I have a new walking stick to replace my old one. The other items inside are also very useful for my daily routine.”
Mr Lee Song Yong, 85 years old
Mr Lee lives with his wife and enjoys videography. He also enjoys participating in the centre’s activities. He has been visiting Lions Befrienders Active Ageing Centre at Mei Ling since 2017. He usually uses an umbrella to aid him in walking.
“I enjoy visiting the centre as there are interesting activities to keep us active and healthy. The items in the Bag of Love will come in handy, as they are things that we can use on a daily basis.”
Mdm Tan Kim Eng, 80 years old
Mdm Tan lives alone. She is very frail and usually comes to the Lions Befrienders centre for rations. Despite having mobility issues, she will also help her neighbours to collect rations. She has been visiting Lions Befrienders Active Ageing Centre at Mei Ling since 2007.
“I usually collect rations for myself and for
my neighbours from the Lions Befrienders centre. I enjoy helping people, and will continue as long as I am able to. I am glad to receive the foldable trolley that is included in the Bag of Love. It is lightweight and will be useful to bring the heavy items back from the centre.”
Mdm Ramalingam, 66 years old
Mdm Ramalingam is the main caregiver to her husband who is frail and has several health conditions. She has mobility issues and gets breathless easily, especially when she walks long distances. Under
these circumstances, she only visits the Lions Befrienders centre when necessary, or upon request by staff. She has been visiting Lions Befrienders Active Ageing
Centre at Mei Ling since 2018.
“I am thankful to receive the Bag of Love, although I do not come to the Lions Befrienders centre as often as I would like. I am looking forward to using the walking stick with the in-built chair. I usually get breathless when I walk, so this will be very helpful.”
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