Festive Cheers @ South West adopts targeted approach to meet needs of vulnerable residents

South West Community Development Council (CDC) concludes its annual Festive Cheers @ South West programme today, 6 March 2022, with a partnership with Landscape Industry Association of Singapore (LIAS) to present specially curated gifts and Festive Cheers packs to seniors at REACH Senior Centre @ Bukit Gombak Vista.^[1] Each senior will receive a gift worth $100 that is sponsored by LIAS and a South West Festive Cheers pack from Mr Gan Kim Yong, Minister for Trade and Industry and Adviser to Chua Chu Kang GRC GROs (Chua Chu Kang) and Mayor Low Yen Ling.

2        Festive Cheers @ South West which took place from December 2021 to March 2022, benefitted 7,500 vulnerable households in 31 rental blocks from 25 Adopt @ South West precincts and involved more than 1,000 volunteers and more than 90 community and corporate partners. The programme, which received an overall donation of more than $677,000 has adopted a more targetted approach to meet varied needs of residents through the specially curated packs based on ground feedback and Grant-A-Wish @ South West where corporate partners grant the wishes requested by vulnerable residents. The donation amount received is 13% more than the previous year.

3        To ensure that the varied needs of isolated seniors are met, Grant-A-Wish @ South West is a more focused approach where seniors can wish for an item within a budget of $100 from the following categories: Health & Mobility Aids, Home Essential & Appliances, or Food Hamper & Tonic products. This ensures that the gifts are suitable and beneficial to their daily lives. Some products requested by seniors can help in managing their health such as blood pressure monitors, as well as appliances they can use in their daily lives like rice cooker, water boiler and microwave oven.

4        Each senior will also receive a South West Festive Cheers pack, specially curated by the South West CDC to augment residents’ needs and preferences based on ground feedback. For instance, some packs contain household essential items in place of instant food and beverage items. The South West Festive Cheers packs, worth $25 each, are sponsored by long-time corporate partner Koh Kock Leong Enterprise Pte Ltd.

5        Minister Gan says, “It is heartening to see that the Landscape Industry Association of Singapore is actively encouraging its member companies to play a greater role in Corporate Social Responsibility and partnering them to uplift the less privileged and build an inclusive Singapore. The support of our Corporate and Community partners is not only vital in helping the vulnerable, but it also strengthens our community resilience.”

6        Ms Low Yen Ling, Mayor of South West District says, “The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated social isolation and loneliness especially for the seniors who are living alone. Through the Grant-A-Wish with LIAS @ South West, we hope to give our socially isolated seniors an emotional boost and bring them some joy. We want them to know that they are not forgotten during these trying times. The gifts and festive packs are a heartfelt gesture of the community’s effort to brighten their lives. We are very thankful to partners like LIAS for stepping up to do their part for the community.” 

7        69-year-old Mdm Neh Kwee Lan is one of the seniors who benefitted from the programme. She shared, “As I live alone and am not working, the items provided are useful and can help me save a lot of money. I cook simple meals for myself daily and the food items in the pack can help supplement my meals. As I wear dentures which makes it difficult to bite harder fruits like apples, I wished for a juicer so I can blend my fruits with water. This is important to me as I eat plenty of fruits to take care of my health and aid digestion. I am grateful for the many items given as they are beneficial, and I can save money.”

8        This is LIAS’s second collaboration with South West CDC for the Festive Cheers @ South West programme. LIAS will grant the wishes of 150 socially isolated seniors in the South West District with gifts worth up to $15,000. These gifts are specially purchased and sponsored by volunteers from LIAS. The packs will also come with a handmade card by Project Wellness, a ground-up initiative, with well wishes penned by the students of PCF Sparkletots Bukit Batok Blocks 205 and 293.   

9        “We are happy to partner South West CDC for Grant-A-Wish with LIAS @ South West to grant the wishes of the less privileged seniors during the festive season. Although we are not able to gather in large groups due to the COVID-19 situation, many volunteers have stepped forth with a helping hand to contribute to this initiative, both monetarily and physically. I hope this gesture helps to bring some joy and uplift the lives of the less privileged seniors,” shared Mr Martin Toh (卓成福), Executive Committee Member, LIAS.  

10       Other than LIAS, 400 seniors also benefitted from the Grant-A-Wish @ South West initiative, supported by corporate partners like Procter & Gamble, Mitsubishi Chemicals, and Beauty One International. Festive Cheers @ South West rallies the support of corporate and community partners to organise a series of festive activities such as Christmas and Chinese New Year engagement, distribution of South West Festive Cheers Packs and festive gifts to the beneficiaries of Adopt @ South West.

^[1] Due to SMM guidelines, only 10 seniors have been invited to the event. The gifts and festive packs to the remaining 140 seniors will be distributed on another day.