Address by President Tony Tan Keng Yam at the President's Volunteerism & Philanthropy Awards

Mr Lawrence Wong
Acting Minister
Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth

Mdm Halimah Yacob
Minister of State
Ministry of Social and Family Development

Mr Stanley Tan
Chairman
National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

        Good evening.

        I am indeed happy to be here on this special occasion to celebrate the spirit of giving in Singapore. Many of you present this evening have given generously for causes you believe in. I hope you will share your experience with other Singaporeans, so that giving will become part of the DNA of our society.

        To facilitate the sharing of experiences in giving, I am pleased to launch this evening, the ‘I Remember Doing Good’ initiative (IRDG), started by the Singapore Memory Project to collect memories and stories of people who have sought to do good and better our society. In collaboration with the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre, the Singapore Memory Project aims to gather stories from volunteers and philanthropists, both past and present, who have given of themselves to help the underprivileged in Singapore.

        If we look back on our past, we will find many stories about ordinary people who embody the values of mutual help and civic betterment.

        This evening, I would like to share with you one uplifting story that IRDG has collected. This is the story of the late Venerable Ho Yuen Hoe, the founder of the Man Fut Tong Nursing Home. She arrived in Singapore as a penniless, illiterate woman, but later started a nursing home that now has more than 220 elderly residents.

        We gain several insights from Venerable Ho’s life. The first is how she made giving very much part of her life, even when she had so little. Venerable Ho was born in 1909, and came to Singapore when she was in her 20s. Working as a maid and hair-bun maker for amahs and Samsui women, she felt the desire to help others around her. She started out by providing free housing for some 40 elderly Samsui women who did not have any lodging. She also set up a mutual aid association so that other Chinese immigrants could have the support needed to build better lives for themselves and their families.

        The second striking thing about Venerable Ho is how she made giving contagious and was able to rally other people to support her cause. The establishment of Man Fut Tong Nursing Home would not have been possible without the help of volunteers and donors, who shared her vision and desire to care for the underprivileged. Volunteers still remain at the core of Man Fut Tong Nursing Home’s work today, playing crucial roles in reaching out to the elderly living alone all across Singapore.  

        Finally, Venerable Ho’s journey exemplifies the lasting impact of the spirit of giving. She once said, “Everything in life is transient. Only charity is real and enduring.” Her words sum up what a culture of giving is all about – it leaves behind a legacy that inspires the next generation to continue making our community a better one. Today, two of Venerable Ho’s adopted daughters remain actively involved in running the Man Fut Tong Nursing Home. Venerable Seck Cheng Charn serves as the President of the Home, and Venerable Tang Wai Sum is the Executive Director. Both sisters, I’m happy to say, are here with us this evening.

        Through the IRDG, I hope Singaporeans will be inspired by the memories of people like the late Venerable Ho. I believe the spirit of giving is innate in each and every one of us. But it needs to be encouraged. Through my involvement in the President’s Challenge, I have met many Singaporeans with a passion for social causes who aspire to make a difference. If we nurture this charitable spirit, Singapore will be a place that all of us can be proud to call home.

        In closing, I would like to congratulate all the award recipients and express my gratitude to all the volunteers, philanthropists and representatives from non-profit and corporate organisations present here tonight. I believe that through your dedication and commitment, you will be able to inspire more Singaporeans to give of their time, their talent and their treasure and in doing so, better the lives of those around them, to make Singapore a more caring and compassionate society.

        I wish all of you an enjoyable evening.