Welcome
A very good evening to all.
1 Birth of U Care Fund
1.1 As you have just seen from the video, we started the U Care Fund in 2009 in a big way, and raised over $23 million to help our workers who were affected by the global downturn. Besides the usual assistance programmes, we also rolled out the U Care Immediate Assistance which provided immediate relief to our members in order to lessen their financial burden during the difficult times.
1.2 Last year 2010, with the improved economy, we did fairly well in our fundraising efforts too. We managed to raise $11.6 million, exceeding our original target of $10 million.
2 U Care Fund 2011
2.1 For 2011, we have also set ourselves a $10 million fundraising target, so that we could help our low-income members better cope with the rising cost of living.
2.2 Earlier in April, we held our first fundraiser which was a very special and unique charity golf event in celebration of NTUC’s 50th anniversary. We had 50 flights of golfers coming together to play 27-hole course, all for a worthy cause.
2.3 We are very grateful to be able to count on the strong support of our Labour Movement’s family, which year after year, have seen them coming forward with their generous contributions.
3 Our Staunch Supporters
3.1 I would like to thank Singapore Labour Foundation which has made our fundraising efforts one-third easier with their $3.5 million donation pledged during the charity golf.
3.2 I would also like to thank our “big brothers” from our extended family; they are none other than our social enterprises. First, let me thank NTUC FairPrice Foundation. Not only have they contributed one million dollars during our charity golf, they have given us another boost last week. After a 2-week campaign called “Breadwinners – We Care, U Care”, FairPrice Foundation has pledged another $1.35 million to U Care Fund. Thank you Brothers Kian Chew and Kian Peng for your strong support.
3.3 We are indeed very lucky to have many ‘siblings’ in the Labour Movement. Our brothers and sisters from NTUC Club – Bro Khee Leng, NTUC Income – Bro Suee Chieh, NTUC Choice Homes – Sis Margaret and the rest of the NTUC Social Enterprises have been our staunch supporters over the years. I would like to say a big thank you to all of them for truly living up to their social mission and making a difference to the lives of our many members and their families.
4 Support by NTUC Affiliated Unions and Association
4.1 As we aspire to be the Most Caring Labour Movement in the World, I want to salute a special group of people who devote much of their time and effort to better the welfare of our workers. They are the heros and heroines who stood by our workers, through thick and thin, in good and in bad times. Let us applaud the many brothers and sisters from our affiliated unions and association, many of them are here tonight, for their commitment and selfless dedication in helping our members.
4.2 I would also like to take this opportunity to thank our Care & Share Committee members, whom we count on to provide us with valuable inputs and feedback so that we could continue to improve our programmes and outreach.
4.3 Special thanks must also go to our Committee Chairman, Brother Cyrille Tan, for his strong leadership and guidance over the last few years. Thank you Brother Cyrille.
4.4 We are also heartened that we could count on our affiliated unions and association to come forth with donations for the U Care Fund. It is also with their strong labour management relationship that we could garner support from our management partners. Thank you very much to all our affiliated unions and association.
5 Support from Unionised Companies & Corporate Donors
5.1 To raise $10 million on average every year is actually not as easy as it looks. We are indeed very fortunate and thankful that we have many supporters who share our belief and place their trust in U Care Fund.
5.2 Our management and tripartite partners have time and again, showed that they care just as much as we do about our workers, especially those from low-income families.
5.3 Oprah Winfrey, the famous US TV host who is also a philanthropist, once said, “It’s not just being able to write a cheque. It’s being able to touch somebody’s life”. How true!
5.4 And tonight, we salute all of you, our donors. Your big-heartedness has certainly touched many lives, including the beneficiaries whom we had invited to join us this evening. You will get to hear from them later through a video.
6 U Care Charity Dinner 2011
6.1 Tonight’s dinner is our second and final fundraiser.
6.2 Will we reach our $10 million target this year? I certainly hope so, otherwise we will need to work even harder to achieve our KPI and I may have to come knock on your doors again.
6.3 But seriously, with the donations and sponsorship that we have received so far, I am very happy to announce that the U Care Fund has garnered a total of $9,712,264 dollars todate! Thank you very much!
7 Conclusion
7.1 Before I end, let me assure you that the funds raised will certainly be put to good use. You may wish to refer to our Annual Report for 2010 which can be found in the bag that was placed on your seat earlier; on the type of assistance programmes we have in place to help our low-income members and their families, as well as to help the underprivileged children and the elderly.
7.2 With that, thank you once again for taking time to join us this evening and for your kind and generous contributions. We look forward to your continuous support for many years to come.
7.3 I wish you an enjoyable evening. Thank you.
