President Tharman Shanmugaratnam,
Mr Danny Teoh, Chairman of Keppel,
Mr Loh Chin Hua, CEO of Keppel,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
WELCOME
1. Good afternoon and a warm welcome to SPD. My fellow Board members, staff and colleagues are honoured by your presence and are delighted to host you.
2. This is a significant occasion. We are gathered here to celebrate and renew the partnership between Keppel and SPD. This partnership between a social service agency and a large business entity reflects the philosophy and approach underpinning how Singapore tackles its social challenges. Each sector, be it people, private or public, plays a part, each bringing its strengths and resources to the table and collaborate to achieve the greater good.
3. This milestone is also timely for SPD as we commemorate our 60th anniversary this year. Our organisation has come a long way, from a humble workshop that repaired wooden crates for a soft drink company to one of the more established charities in Singapore. Currently we serve people across the spectrum of disabilities and at different life stages. We are also adapting our core capabilities to serve adjacent areas of need, in particular care of seniors. The organisation has undergone so many iterations that it is no longer appropriate for us to use our old name “Society for the Physically Disabled”. Instead, we have retained the three alphabet ‘SPD’, with a tagline that we serve people with disabilities.
KEPPEL’S CONTRIBUTION
4. Keppel’s partnership has been transformational for SPD. It started with the sheltered workshop programme five years ago in 2019. The partnership has been beneficial and meaningful for both parties and Keppel has since decided to raise the level of support, doubling its contribution to a very generous $1 million over the next three years. The new tranche will support two important areas – continued uplifting of our sheltered workshop programme and the setting up of a new senior care centre.
Sheltered Workshop
5. The Sheltered Workshop is a facility where individuals with varying abilities find purpose and empowerment. It was started by a group of Rotarians for people with physical disabilities who had difficulties seeking open employment. In the workshop, they could work in a sheltered environment, earning a small livelihood.
6. Today, we have more than 100 clients who are meaningfully engaged in the workshop. The activities include book restoration services, production of quality lifestyle products such as handbound journals, key fobs and card holders, assembling and packing work. There are also ICT related tasks such as digital archiving and data entry.
7. We are very grateful to Keppel who not only contributed financially, but more importantly are vested in the outcomes to be achieved. Keppel’s staff were involved as volunteers on a regular basis and the company contributed its business development and marketing expertise to revamp some aspects of the sheltered workshop programme.
8. This partnership has enabled the workshop programme to accomplish more and make a greater impact. One main group of beneficiaries are our trainees. Through the apprenticeship programme, the trainees are able to pick up technical skills along with social and life skills. This has given them a sense of empowerment and self worth.
9. We look forward to Keppel’s continued investment and support of the workshop programme.
Senior Care Centre at Canberra
10. SPD has started to extend our programmes to support seniors within the community. As the population ages, the need for community-based care is growing. There will be a group of seniors who will develop some form of disabilities in the latter stages of their lives. SPD sees this as an opportunity to apply our core expertise to serve them.
11. Our new senior care centre in Canberra will start operations in the second quarter this year. We are very grateful to have Keppel come on board. Besides helping to fund the set-up of the centre, the contribution will go towards supplementing government subsidies for elderly from low-income households to ensure they have access to the services. Located within the newly built Bukit Canberra Integrated Hub, SPD@Canberra will serve seniors with disabilities and seniors who require rehabilitation and assistance with activities of daily living, bringing services and support closer to their homes.
12. With a capacity of about 80, providing both day care and community rehabilitation, SPD@Canberra is poised to become a hub for holistic care. These clients will participate in a variety of activities within the centre and we will also leverage public facilities to foster greater integration into the local community.
CONCLUSION
13. SPD’s partnership with Keppel demonstrates that such collaborations can achieve better and more enduring outcomes. We are able to go further if we go together. On one hand, it has enabled SPD to sustain our programmes and services, maintaining quality. On the other hand, Keppel has benefited in having a strong corporate social responsibility and employee value proposition.
14. On behalf of my Board and staff of SPD, I would like to thank Keppel for the renewed support and confidence. We hope this will motivate and inspire more corporations to come on board.
15. Mr President thank you once again for gracing this event today. It means a lot to us. We look forward to working with all stakeholders to build a more inclusive Singapore together.
Thank you.
