Welcome
A very good afternoon to all of you.
Let me begin by sharing a true story with you.
There was this poor boy who goes from door to door selling goods to pay for his studies. One day he found that he had only one dime left, and he was hungry. So, he decided to ask for a meal at the next house.
But when he saw it was a young woman who opened the door, he only dared to ask for a glass of water. She looked at him and knew that the boy was probably hungry. So she gave him a large glass of milk. The boy drank it and then asked how much he owed her. The woman replied, “You don‘t owe me anything. Mother taught us never to accept pay for a kindness”. “Then I thank you from the bottom of my heart” said the boy who now felt stronger not only physically, but his faith in God has grown as well. The boy’s name was Howard Kelly.
Many years have passed. One day that same woman became seriously ill. The local doctors could not help her; therefore they sent her to a big city, where her rare disease would be studied by specialists. Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for the consultation. When he entered her room in the hospital, he immediately recognized the woman who had shown kindness to him when he was poor. The doctor was determined to do his best to help her recover from her disease.
The struggle was long, but together they managed to overcome her illness. After some time the woman received a bill for her treatment. She was worried that the amount would be so huge that it would take the rest of her life to pay for it. Finally, when the woman looked at the bill, she noticed some words that were written on the side of the bill. And the words were: “Paid in full with a glass of milk”.
The morale of the story is kindness begets kindness. When we are kind to someone, you never know when you will also need someone’s kindness one day.
So, that brings me to why we are all here today.
Labour Movement’s Caring and Sharing Spirit
I am very happy to see so many of you, especially our friends from the various voluntary welfare organisations. I’m sure you are all very excited and eagerly waiting for the magic show to begin.
Today’s event is called “U Care for Community” and this is one of the many ways that we at the Labour Movement shows kindness to the less privileged community, so as to bring cheer and joy to our beneficiaries especially when the festive season is just around the corner.
Some of you may have noticed the special U Care Exhibition which is at the place where you had lunch just now. I am happy to share that many of our unions and communities have been quietly reaching out to the underprivileged community and collectively, we had done 57 community service projects in this year alone. That is like one CSR project a week.
These projects include visits to the elderly and children’s homes; bringing festive cheers and gifts during Lunar New Year and Christmas to the residents; or bringing beneficiaries to various attractions such as S.E.A. Aquarium, River Safari and Gardens by the Bay.
Besides these, some of our unions such as the Port Officers’ Union had also organised donation drives to raise funds for their adopted charitable organisation, while the HDB Staff Union volunteers make monthly visits to their adopted children’s home to help with housekeeping and clearing the drains.
It is indeed heartening to know that the Labour Movement’s Caring and Sharing spirit is very much alive and this is evident by today’s show of force by all 200 of you, our volunteers.
Acknowledgement of Donors and Sponsors
I am sure today’s event will be an unforgettable experience for the over 750 beneficiaries who are gathered here. This special treat wouldn’t have been possible if not for the support of our affiliated unions who contributed generously towards the purchase of essential items for the goodie bags which each beneficiary will receive; as well as for the purchase of the show tickets which were heavily subsidised by NTUC Club.
The NTUC-U Care Fund has also absorbed the transportation and F&B costs. So, let us thank all our donors and sponsors for their kind contribution.
Acknowledgement of Volunteers
There’s a saying in Chinese <<有钱出钱,有力出力>> which means that those who have money give money, those who have strength give strength. And if those who have money and strength, then can give both.
So, on behalf of all the beneficiaries here, let me say a big thank you to all our volunteers -- from the Care & Share Committee Members to the sisters and brothers from our affiliated unions and LM family, for your time and passion to serve with a willing heart. Your efforts in bringing our young and senior friends from their centres all the way to Downtown East; serving them lunch; and caring for them throughout the day is commendable. I am sure you have already made their day and bring much cheer and joy to them. Kudos to all of you!
I hope that many more people will be inspired by you and come forward to show U Care. It is certainly not easy coping with life challenges, particularly for the needy and the underprivileged. The Labour Movement will continue to spread the Caring and Sharing spirit and make a difference to our community.
Conclusion
Last but not least, I would like to leave you with a quote from Mother Teresa: “We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.”
And now, the magic begins as I shall disappear before you. Enjoy the show!
~ End ~
