– Charlie “Tremendous” Jones, author and motivational speaker
There are many issues that the community is facing. And only when we take the effort to find out more and keep ourselves up-to-date, can we be part of the solution and change can happen, to truly build a community that cares.
Supermarkets to reveal the amount of plastic they create
Supermarkets are coming under growing pressure from politicians and campaigners to reveal the amount of plastic they create, and pay more towards its safe disposal, following a Guardian investigation. Amid mounting concern about the devastating environmental impact of...
EU declares war on plastic waste
The EU is waging war against plastic waste as part of an urgent plan to clean up Europe’s act and ensure that every piece of packaging on the continent is reusable or recyclable by 2030. Following China’s decision to ban imports of foreign recyclable material,...
Friendship sparks new zest for life
After her husband passed away at the start of Chinese New Year in 2017, the usually sociable Madam Lim Rui Yong, 78, struggled to cope. She withdrew from her friends and shut herself off at home, allowing only family to visit her. She remained in this state for...
New SG Cares app to make volunteering easier
It will soon be easier for Singaporeans to volunteer or donate, with the launch of an app to matchmake aspiring do-gooders and social causes. Developed by SG Cares, the national movement to promote volunteerism, the app was announced yesterday by Prime Minister Lee...
Help pours in for China’s ‘Snowflake Boy’
The story of a Chinese schoolboy who braved harsh winter conditions to get to school has triggered an avalanche of help for him and his school. A donation of 100,000 yuan (S$20,500) was sent to Zhuanshanbao Primary School in Zhaotong, Yunnan province, on Wednesday...
New vending machines to push recycling
Waterway Point's FairPrice Finest outlet now boasts a "reverse vending machine" to encourage recycling. The installation of the machine on 9 January 2018 was part of a collaboration between food and beverage company Fraser & Neave (F&N), supermarket chain NTUC...
MOH looking at fund for children with rare diseases
A separate fund for children with rare diseases that are very expensive to treat could be set up in the future, said Senior Minister of State for Health Chee Hong Tat. Mr Chee told Parliament yesterday the fund is one of several options that the Ministry of Health...
New tech for old folk to live at home safely
Ageing is often associated with a decrease in independence, but new technology is helping the elderly cope better with challenges, allowing them to continue living at home safely and comfortably instead of having to go to a care home. SHINESeniors SHINESeniors is a...
UK ban on microbeads takes effect to save oceans from plastics
UK bans on making products with microbeads -- tiny plastic particles in everything from cosmetics to shampoo and toothpaste -- in an effort to protect marine life. “The world’s seas and oceans are some of our most valuable natural assets. I am determined we act now to...
Disrupting social circles to boost cohesion
Disruption can bring about much good and a stronger society. Much less discussed but of vital importance is a different kind of disruption - that of our social circles, especially those that separate us from one another. Network sociologist Mark Granovetter wrote...
Maybank: ‘humanising financial services’
It can be argued that a bank's core mission - stripping down all financial jargon and complexities - is a social one: providing financial access to individuals and communities. And so it seems fitting that Maybank ensures that its corporate philanthropy efforts line...
Three Singaporeans with worthy causes
The Straits Times spoke to three individuals with New Year's resolutions that embody a wider purpose - from helping kidney patients to reaching out to inmates and saving the environment. Pamela Low, 22, Undergraduate Pamela Low wants to go on a diet in 2018. It is not...
Three women who overcame adversity in their lives
Three people talk about how they overcame personal hardship, and their hopes for 2018. Their stories may be different, but they point to common themes: the resilience of the human spirit and the power of hope. In spite of the obstacles faced, they have something to...
Seniors give back with gusto
The number of people in Singapore aged 55 and above who volunteer has increased, said organisations and experts. In a National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre survey for 2016, published in May 2017, the number of people aged 55 to 64 who volunteer has increased from...
Single dad eyes better life for special-needs daughter
Five months ago, seven-year-old Lee Qi Zhen required her father’s help to stand. The little girl has a convergent squint — an eye condition which causes her eyes to turn inwards — and amblyopia, also known as lazy eye, in both eyes. She underwent surgery at KK Women’s...
Hero brings hope to families
Mr Kelvin Wan, 45, is the energetic founder of non-governmental organisation (NGO) Hope Place. The local media has hailed him as Kuching town’s hero. Mr Wan knows what it is like to go hungry – an experience that set him on his journey of bringing hope to others. In...
Serving food with a dose of good
After suffering a stroke in July last year which affected the left side of his body, Mr Alan Gwee, 50, was jobless for six months. Then he was hired by the Timbre Group to handle the front of house and bar of its new Five & 2 restaurant at Punggol Park. His...
Volunteers who ensure no one dies alone
Mr Tay Cheng Tian, 54, died in a hospice on 4 November. None of his family members was by his bedside when he took his last breath, but he did not die alone. In the last few weeks of his life, a bunch of strangers befriended him and committed to spending time with him...
Acorn Quest plants seeds of change for ex-offenders
For many former drug offenders such as stroke therapist Kasmawati Kali Ubi, the road to recovery may take a lifetime. The 55-year-old, who went to prison six times from 1981 for using heroin, said it was meeting counsellor Janet Wee four years ago that changed her...
Time-pressed? Let seniors iron out the wrinkles
A well-pressed shirt not only delivers satisfaction to the wearer, but in the case of one social enterprise, also gives a helping hand to seniors needing meaningful work. This is the belief of The Social Iron, a social enterprise that started its services in June. ...
