“I have been participating in Care Corner Senior Activity Centre for the past four years. One of the recent programmes that made an impact on my life was the Angklung Programme, organised by Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay and sponsored by Tan Chin Tuan Foundation, where all of us (seniors) worked together to play several music pieces. The real fun began when the children from New Life Childcare Centre joined us for one of our Angklung practices. It was definitely a novel experience for me to teach and guide the K2 students on how to play the instrument. It was a wonderful feeling to bring joy and laughter to these young children. My involvement in this learning journey with the kids gave me a sense of renewed purpose in life. I never knew that in my old age, I could still contribute back to the community and inspire the next generation of Singaporeans.”
Mdm Koh Ah Sai, Service user of Care Corner Senior Activity Centre (SAC WL 569A)
The 7th Asia-Pacific Regional Conference for Service-Learning was held in Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) from 19-21 June 2019. This is the first time the conference was held in Singapore, with 300 local and international representatives from various institutes and welfare organisations coming together over three days to discuss and exchange ideas on service learning. During the panel discussion about the Role of Community in Educational Institution, TCTF CEO Ms Yap Su-Yin shared about one of our signature programmes, Project Cheer.
The Josephian of the Year Award has been presented to Nicol Yong Jia Jia. During the St Joseph’s Institution International School Malaysia’s (SJIIM) second International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) graduation ceremony at its Tropicana PJ Campus auditorium, Nicol received the Tan Sri Tan Chin Tuan Book Prize Award. The award was presented to her by Tan Sri Tan Foundation, council member Dato’ Richard Ong. The foundation is also one of SJIIM’s IBDP scholarship programme sponsors.
On Mother’s Day, 12 May 2019, 40 seniors from Yong-en Care Centre were treated to Tan Chin Tuan Centennial Concert Series at the Esplanade – Mother’s Day Special《母亲节特备节目：献给妈妈的歌》. Hosted by bubbly host Lee Peifen, the concert featured singers belting out familiar well-loved Chinese hits from yesteryear including songs by Zhou Xuan, Teresa Teng, Qing Shan and more.
NTU President Emeritus and TCTF Council Member Professor Cham Tao Soon in an opinion piece for The Straits Times argued the need for an immediate as well as a long-term strategy in education to succeed in this era of disruptive technology, otherwise known as Industry 4.0. When machines can take over jobs of humans, education has to foster creativity, stress EQ over IQ, and enable lifelong learning.
On 29 Nov 2018, five recipients of the Tan Sri (Dr) Tan Chin Tuan Scholarship at Singapore Institute of Technology were part of a group of volunteers who took part in year-end celebrations for beneficiaries from CAREldery Senior Activity Centres, organised by the Tan Chin Tuan Foundation. Ms Nur Aqilah bte Abdul Rashid, a second-year undergraduate from the Occupational Therapy Programme shared, “It was a heartwarming experience to see the elderly having fun and participating during the event. It was also definitely inspiring to see them being so cheery and energetic.”
