“Caring for seniors with dementia is not easy. It takes a special person to intentionally create an environment for the seniors to be happy and to do so with joy – I am glad to see this mind-set in action at Yong-en.” Students from Social Science in Gerontology, Temasek Polytechnic, Adeline Tan and Jermine Loo, shared their reflections following the 12-week internship at Yong-en Care Centre – Dementia Day Care. The internship programme for 2019 was sponsored by the Tan Chin Tuan Foundation.
SJIIM recently celebrated its fourth batch of International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) scholars through a Scholarship Awards Ceremony on 27 September 2019. The event was graced by the SJIIM Board of Governors Chairman and Brother President of SJI Singapore, Dato’ Br. Paul Ho as the Guest of Honor and notable guests such as Dato’ Richard Ong who is a council member of the Tan Sri Tan Foundation.
A time honoured Lasallian tradition, the IBDP Scholarship Programme is a cornerstone feature of St. Joseph’s Institution International Schools in Singapore and Malaysia. The scholarship programme is now in its fourth cycle and has been supported by many organizations and well wishers since its inception in 2016 and in particular, the Tan Chin Tuan and Tan Sri Tan Foundation that have been significant benefactors of the initiative.
Twelve women entrepreneurs were honoured at the Women Entrepreneur Awards (WEA) on July 9. The highest honour – the Supernova Award – went to Ms Chew Gek Khim, Executive Chairman of both Tecity Group and the real estate and resources-based Straits Trading Company. Awarded to only one woman entrepreneur each year, the Supernova category recognises well-respected women leaders who have contributed to the city-state and society. The granddaughter of late banker and philanthropist Tan Chin Tuan also serves as Deputy Chairman of the foundation in Singapore, which bears his name.
Tan Chin Tuan Award’s 2nd runner-up Senior Enrolled Nurse, Ms Jenny Yong says there is no greater feeling than being able to contribute her part and to support patients in need. As a senior enrolled nurse at Home Nursing Foundation, Jenny works mostly with elderly patients, some of whom are homebound and suffer multiple chronic illnesses. She makes frequent home visits to assist our patients with simple wound dressing, changing of feeding tubes and urinary catheters.
“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.”
