Mr James Tan, CEO of TOUCH Community Services,
Ms Loong Hui Chee, Chief Executive Officer of SP Services,
Mr Ted Tan, Vice Chairman of Community Chest,
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
1. First of all, a very good evening to one and all. A big thank you for inviting me to the inaugural TOUCH J.A.M. Carnival. I’m extremely delighted to join TOUCH, our partners and members, in launching this very meaningful community fundraising event.
2. This carnival brings together residents, volunteers, partners and sponsors around one shared purpose: to care for one another, and also to strengthen the spirit of giving. Events like this create opportunities for Singaporeans to connect, families to spend meaningful time together, and people from different walks of life to contribute in their own ways.
3. In many ways, this reflects the kind of society we want to build here in Singapore – one that is caring and inclusive, where everyone is engaged, accepted, and given the opportunity to thrive.
4. This piece of work cannot be done by any single organisation, or not even the government alone, because we need strong communities where we can all work closely together. We have our social service agencies, corporate partners, families, and individual volunteers. Of course, the government plays a role and together, we can make better use of our limited resources, our time, and our energy and mobilise everyone, so that more help can be channelled where it is needed most.
5. On this note, I really want to commend TOUCH and SP Group for your efforts in organising this very meaningful carnival and rallying the wider community to also give back. Your commitment reflects our shared responsibility to build a “We First” Singapore society. We can all play a part and give back to our community – be it through a donation, by volunteering or by encouraging others to support good causes like this. In doing so, we can uplift one another and ensure that no Singaporean is left behind.
6. I hope that in the next 2 days, this will be a resounding, successful event. I wish everybody great health and success –not too late to say–in the lunar new year of the horse.
7. Thank you.