The article featured one of the ComChest Heroes, 5 year old Jackson Chang who used his 5th birthday party as an occasion to collect donations for Community Chest last year.
Jackson told his friends who came to his birthday party to bring money and not gifts. He collected $850 in all and donated the entire sum to Community Chest. This birthday celebration took on a special meaning for Jackson as he learnt the importance of giving and sharing. Jackson was taught to give and share by his parents from the tender age of two, and he donates a portion of his toys to charity every year.
Jackson pledged to be a ComChest Hero at the Community Chest’s Fancy Dress Picnic held at ComChest Green, Labrador Nature Reserve. As a Comchest Hero, he will pledge to tell eight other friends about how Community Chest helps the less fortunate by reading out a short story from a pledge card.
As the organisers of the Fancy Dress Picnic, Community Chest hopes to use this event as a platform to reach out to more children and instil in them the spirit of giving and sharing from a young age.
Besides pledging to become a ComChest Hero, children and their families can also make a donation of $5 to Community Chest or $10 to purchase a coupon booklet. Children also turned up at the picnic dressed as princesses, superheroes and fairies to coincide with the picnic theme. More than 10 children took part in the Best Dressed Competition and walked away with attractive prizes.
Nearly 1500 Community Chest beneficiaries and donors participated in the event. Corporate donors contributed more than $440,000 to the event, an increase of 40% as compared to last year.
Community Chest will need to raise $55.2 million this year. The funds raised will go towards supporting 161 social service programmes that are managed by 72 Voluntary Welfare Organisations, serving more than 320,000 people in need.