The Community Chest of Singapore

Community Chest (Singapore) is a non-profit organisation that channels resources to the social service sector in Singapore. It was established in 1983 to centralise the fund-raising activities of its member Voluntary Welfare Organisations, to ensure that its members could concentrate on providing services and to reduce fund-raising expenses.

Administration

The Community Chest is headed by a committee with members from various sectors and occupations. The current chairman, Ms. Jennie Chua, is the President and CEO of The Ascott Group Ltd.

The President of Singapore, President S R Nathan is Community Chest's Patron-in-Chief while Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for the Ministry of Commnunity, Youth and Sports is Patron to the NPO.

Programmes Supported

The funds raised by the Community Chest are used for programmes that fall into four broad categories:

# Nurturing children to succeed
# Dignifying lives of the elderly
# Helping people with disabilities lead independent lives
# Keeping families together

In 2007, the Community Chest raised $52 million that was made available to more than 140 programmes. Singapore Pools and the Totalisator Board sponsor all of Community Chest's fund-raising costs.

Fund-raising Mechanisms

Community Chest raises funds through various means. These include:

* SHARE - Donors allow monthly donations to be deducted directly from their pay.
* Heartstrings walk - An annual event where thousands participate in a walk around the city area.

External links

References
* [http://www.comchest.org.sg Official Community Chest Website]