Bridging a Partnership...

During the early part of June 2009, KDF received a request from Jane, Stella, Jun Ming, Chow Ler, and Chanel; a group of Saint Andrew’s Junior College students to work with them on a project about the donation shortfall amongst voluntary welfare organizations. We were pleasantly surprised by the students’ interest in the fundraising side of KDF, specifically, how the economic downturn has affected donations and what could be done to counteract the effects of falling donations. They had even offered to help KDF by doing a little fund raising of their own.

During the meeting with Jane and her group members, we found out more about their project and the reason why they decided on KDF. Jane and her group members chose KDF as its case study because dialysis, the primary service provided by KDF, is a life long treatment for our patients and having sufficient reserves is especially important during a crisis as treatment is a necessity to prolong the lives of our patients. Should there be a shortfall in donations in any one year, reserves would have to come into use so that the Foundation would be able to continue subsidizing dialysis treatment for our patients.

During the interview and survey about our fund raising activities, we answered their questions with little reservation because we wanted to help the students understand how fund raising works and the difficulties faced by many VWOs today. Our efforts paid off as the students were reassured that their decision to work with KDF was right. “We were treated as equals and our questions were answered to the fullest. It reassured us that the organization was taking us seriously,” Jane said.

Towards the end of the meeting, the students told us, “Before embarking on this project, we thought that it is easy for voluntary welfare organizations to solicit donations such as through charity shows where millions can be collected in a single night. However, we found out that this was usually not the case. The budget, resources and manpower required for such a large scale event can be overwhelming for many VWOs and thus many organizations resort to a few annual small scale activities. Still, these activities require considerable effort and coordination to organize and with the ongoing economic downturn, many complicated obstacles may arise.”

“By working with KDF, we hope to have a clearer view and perspective of the challenges that VWOs in Singapore are currently facing, as well as play our part to help in any way possible. Though we are in the initial stages of implementing our project strategies, we are confident that we will learn invaluable lessons that cannot be taught within a classroom.” This statement by the students accurately summarizes what KDF hopes to accomplish in this partnership with the younger generation.

7th Month Launch Dinner

In conjunction with the Lunar Seventh Month celebration, KDF Chinese Community Committee held the Launch Dinner for the auspicious charity icon “Towering Spirit of Wealth and Success” at Jade Room Restaurant on 18 July 2009. We were honored to have Mr Chan Soo Sen, Member of Parliament for the Joo Chiat Constituency gracing our dinner as Guest of Honor and for officiating the launching of the Lunar Seventh Month icon.

In appreciation of the previous Seventh Month Committee and past bidders, specially designed certificates of appreciation were presented to the Seventh Month Committee and past bidders. With Ms Chen Ming Pai hosting the auction of the icons, and a little help from Mr Chan Soo Sen, the auction went on smoothly and successfully. Philanthropist for the night, Mr Tan Po Kun from Eng Lee Shipowner and Trading Pte Ltd, generously bid for all three of the icons at the price of $25,666, in addition to an outright donation of $1,000.

Another highlight of the night was the singing performance by Ms Fan, who was fighting her own battle with cancer and yet managed to muster enough energy to sing for charity. Mr Chan Soo Sen also spontaneously sang a song for the audience. The impromptu singing performances touched the hearts of the audience, motivating them to contribute more to the event.

With the auction of three icons, and generous donations from the dinner guests, the Launch Dinner raised $45,840.20, proving that the economic slowdown did not deter the Chinese Community from helping the poor and needy in our society. We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to all the kind donors!

The 2009 charity icon “Towering Spirit of Wealth and Success” depicts the high spirit and enthusiasm of a raging ox pushing new borders and frontiers. This represents a rising peak of success in the stock, money markets and businesses. It resembles rejuvenation of one’s self esteem that will bring forth many fruitful returns, success and luck along the way.

Arts for Charity

Ms Nancy Gan’s fundraising campaign through sales of her hand painted porcelain masterpieces for KDF was successfully concluded with the sponsorship of a new dialysis machine, which was commissioned this year.

Grateful for the opportunity to be able to use her talent and art for a good cause, Ms Gan hoped that many more can emulate her and continue to support KDF in the future.

KDF and Ms Gan would like to extend their heartfelt gratitude to Dr Leslie Lam, Dr William Chong, Mr Lee Chee Peng and Dr Madeliene Gunaratnam who supported this fundraising initiative by purchasing Ms Gan’s porcelain handicrafts in the name of charity.

Flag Day: The Inside Story

It started off with a student seeking meaningful volunteering opportunities. By chance, Low Ziwei, 18, got to know one of KDF’s directors, Mr Yeo Thiam Teng and had sought Mr Yeo’s opinion on this. Recognizing the potential and benefits of having student volunteers to help organize the Flag Day project, Mr Yeo asked Ziwei to form a team of enthusiasts like himself and organize the KDF Flag Day 2008 on the 21 June 2008.

Over the next few days, Ziwei contacted some of his friends, inviting them to join him in this purposeful journey. 6 other students responded eagerly. With the guidance of the KDF staff in charge of the project, the 7 student coordinators were steered through the process of coordinating the Flag Day. From the conceptualization of the project, right up to the counting of donations for the Flag Day event, the student coordinators had become part of KDF’s fund-raising family.

As recruitment was a primary target, the student coordinators, started their recruitment campaign early in January. Having to attend school themselves, they used their lunch breaks and free periods as opportunities to contact the Community Involvement Project coordinator from selected schools. Ziwei and his friends continued their recruitment campaign despite many setbacks and rejection. Their perseverance paid off. 663 volunteers registered as street collectors for KDF’s Flag Day.

After 5 months of meticulous planning and coordination the student coordinators were looking forward to 21 June 2008. With all the proper logistics in place to finally commence the actual Flag Day collection, student coordinators aided in the manning of the collection centres. Their responsibility did not just end there. They were also involved in the counting of donations which was done on the night of the Flag Day.

The level of commitment displayed by the street collectors was evident as the amount raised through street collection was more than $26,000. With the outright donations of a few generous corporations such as Tak Products and Services Pte Ltd and Foamtec (Singapore) Pte Ltd and many kind individuals, the total amount raised for the Flag Day campaign added to about $40,000.

Spear-heading the Flag Day project has given the student coordinators a different perspective. It used to be a convenient way to fulfill their mandatory community service hours. However, they now recognize the amount of effort, planning and coordination needed to make a Flag Day successful. Most importantly, they have shown the true spirit of altruism in stepping forward to organize the event.