Address by Mr. Zainal Sapari, Assistant Secretary-General, NTUC and Director, NTUC Care and Share Department
Welcome
A very good afternoon to:
First of all, let me wish everyone a Happy May Day!
NTUC-U Care Fund Turns 5
The month of May is always a special time of the year for the Labour Movement. It is a time we celebrate and honour all workers of Singapore.
It is also a time when we reaffirm our commitment to help all workers earn a better living and lead better lives. It is our hope that every worker will become a Better Worker and every job a Better Job.
And in the context of the NTUC-U Care Fund, we also hope that every donor will become a Better Donor, and by that we mean that you will not only Donate More but also help us spread the good work of the U Care Fund and tell more people to donate to us.
Since the NTUC-U Care Fund started in 2009, we have disbursed over $59.2 million dollars to help our members in times of need. In 2013 alone, we have disbursed close to $9 million dollars through the various U Care assistance programmes.
And with our union membership continuing to grow, it is anticipated that there may be more members who may need our help.
Therefore, with this in mind, the NTUC-U Care Fund is organising two fundraisers this year instead of one, with the aim to raise more funds than in a typical year. This year also marks the U Care Fund’s 5th anniversary and to commemorate this occasion, we are happy to partner with Orchid Country Club to kick-start our fundraising drive for the year.
Acknowledgement of Donors and Sponsors
Making a Difference and Touching Lives is what the NTUC-U Care Fund stands for. Through the work we do, we want to create a sense of belonging and hope for a better future for the families of our low-income members as we aspire towards being an inclusive society. We also want to let them know that we appreciate their hard work and honour their contribution to the nation.
And staying true to the spirit of Caring and Sharing, we are heartened that many sisters and brothers had come forward to support us in this meaningful cause.
I want to thank all our volunteers from the Care & Share Committee as well as colleagues from U Care Centre for stepping forward when we called upon them to help in today’s event. Thank you sisters and brothers.
My heartfelt appreciation also goes to all of you, our Donors and Sponsors, for believing in our cause. We wouldn’t have been able to do what we do without you.
Firstly, I would like to say a big thank you to NTUC FairPrice Foundation for their generous donation. Thank you Brother Kian Chew, we will have you up on stage to unveil the amount in a while.
Also, thank you to Tote Board and Singapore Pools, our NTUC Social Enterprises, our affiliated unions, tripartite and management partners and corporate donors for your strong support.
Today’s golf event would not have been possible without the strong support of our sponsors too. Our sincere appreciation to our Hole-in-One sponsors, Performance Motors for the all-new BMW 4 Series Coupé and this, I also want to thank Brother John de Payva for helping us secure this sponsorship.
Thanks also to NAT Aire & Distribution Pte Ltd for the 2 sets of Mitsubishi System 4 Inverter Aircon and Himawari Japanese Restaurant for the $1,000 F&B vouchers. Thank you all very much for sponsoring the four Hole-in-One prizes!
Next, I would like to thank our very own NTUC Foodfare for sponsoring all the F&B today, including the lunch, the refreshments on the golf course as well as tonight’s dinner. Thank you NTUC Foodfare!
Also, our thanks go to Singapore Pools for sponsoring the Singapore Pools’ Triple Challenge and all the attractive prizes that come with it. Thank you!
This year, our charity golf has an exciting U Raffle Draw and the prize is $1000 dollars cold hard cash. And sponsoring the U Raffle is none other than our charming Lady Captain, Sister Susan Gan. Thank you very much for your generosity.
And not forgetting our sponsors who had contributed items for our goodie bags and lucky draw prizes, as well as the advertisers in our Souvenir Magazine. Thank you all for your kind sponsorship.
I would also like to thank SG for gracing today’s event as well as NTUC Central Committee members, U Care Fund Board of Trustees and my fellow ARU colleagues for joining us here today.
Last but not least, I would like to thank our organising committee Co-Chairmen, Brother Andy Lim and Brother Oscar Oliveiro and all members of the Organising Committee; for your guidance and contribution towards planning today’s event. Also, to the sisters and brothers from OCC working behind the scene, thank you for your hard work and great team effort!
U Care – OCC Charity Golf 2014
The U Care – OCC Charity Golf 2014 is no ordinary charity golf. You can expect an exciting afternoon as we have lined up many novelty challenges to test your skills!
While you may be able to drive without a licence on the golf course, but to participate in the novelty challenges, you must first have your U Care Licence. The U Care License will also make you a Better Donor right away as all the license fees contributed by you will go towards the NTUC-U Care Fund. I will leave the details of the novelty challenge to the emcee to brief you in a while.
Conclusion
In closing, on behalf of the Labour Movement and our U Care Fund beneficiaries, thank you to each and every one of you for your unstinting support over the years. We are privileged to have you to count on to Do Together to Do Good, in order to Do More for our fellow workers.
And before I end, we have something for you to help you be a Better Golfer and to play a Better Golf Game later. Our volunteers will hand out the Labour Movement’s one and only, limited edition “Better Energy Bands”. Put them on and I guarantee you that the Better Energy generated will make you a Better Golfer and play a Better Golf Game this afternoon.
But more importantly, the purpose of giving out these Better Energy Bands is to remind all of us that we can all make a difference by being a Better Employer, a Better Worker and a Better Customer.
When U Care enough to show U Care, we will then have a nation of Better People and a Better Tomorrow for All.
Thank you!
~ End ~
