SINGAPORE - Singapore has many existing initiatives that promote volunteerism and the momentum of such work must not be lost, President Halimah Yacob said on Wednesday at a community event, where she called for more Singaporeans to step forward and help others.

This is even as more are now volunteering today: Over 64,000 volunteers have signed up through the SG Cares Volunteer Centres (VCs), which were started in 2018 under SG Cares, the nationwide volunteerism movement. About a quarter of them volunteer regularly, she said.

The 24 VCs match volunteers and resources with community needs and channel donations in kind to the right beneficiaries. To date, more than 437,000 beneficiaries have been helped, she said.

Speaking at the launch of the #GiveAsOneSG campaign to spur more people to volunteer as part of Singapore’s National Day celebrations, Madam Halimah said that volunteers become a part of something larger than themselves.

“We meet people with different life circumstances; we learn to appreciate the diversity in our communities; and we understand the important role we can play in making our neighbourhoods safer, stronger and more vibrant,” she said at the event at Chua Chu Kang Community Club.

“We become part of a community with a sense of shared identity and mutual responsibility towards one another.”

The VCs have played a crucial role in creating opportunities for Singaporeans to volunteer for causes which they are passionate about, she said.

For instance, the centres have to date trained more than 5,000 volunteer leaders and built 3,000 partnerships with community organisations.

The centres, which are operated by community-based organisations appointed by the SG Cares Office, are also stepping up their recruitment of volunteers.

For instance, Fei Yue Community Services launched a new programme at the event to grow its volunteer pool for its town-based initiatives. It runs three centres – in Choa Chu Kang, Bukit Batok and Hougang.

The centres are looking for more volunteers to support residents with mental health conditions and vulnerable seniors who are isolated. The volunteers may chaperone outings for seniors to keep them active or accompany them on medical appointments.

Madam Halimah said that volunteerism is “our collective responsibility” as part of building a Singapore where people care for one another.

According to the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, in the past year, the total number of volunteers and beneficiaries grew by 67 per cent and 50 per cent, respectively.

Calling volunteerism a “crucial aspect of nation-building”, Madam Halimah encouraged all Singaporeans to step forward and make time for others.

The #GiveAsOneSG initiative is a collaboration between the National Day Parade (NDP) 2023 executive committee and the SG Cares Volunteer Centres.

Those who are keen to know where and how they can volunteer can go to the National Day website, which will be continually refreshed with new volunteering opportunities until Aug 9.

Activities include packing and distributing meals or befriending families. Those interested can sign up through the SG Cares app or in person at VCs.

There will be a blood donation drive organised by the Singapore Red Cross Society on June 17, in conjunction with World Blood Donor Day.

Madam Halimah said that no matter how big or small the contribution, every act of volunteering makes a difference.

Some residents at the Pertapis Centre for Women and Girls have been regularly volunteering, working with the SG Cares Volunteer Centre @ Hougang to clean homes of the elderly and distribute fliers with information about seniors’ outreach programmes.

Each month, different groups of girls and young women, aged between 10 and 20, will spend about half a day volunteering.

Ms Sarah Sulaiman, the acting head for the home, said the girls and young women often receive help from others in the community, so volunteering is a good way for them to give back.

As some of them have been in the system for years and do not often get to interact with adults, she added: “Volunteering with the elderly builds their confidence, self-esteem and interpersonal skills. They are really proud that they can be part of the community, instead of just receiving help.”

Meanwhile, Ms Grace Teo, vice-chairman of the South View Primary School Parents Association (SVPA), said partnering with the SG Cares Volunteer Centre @ Chua Chu Kang helped the group find volunteering activities that were suitable for both parents and children.

In 2022, members of the association and their children first started cleaning homes of elderly folk in rental flats as a one-off event. They later received additional requests from residents to paint their homes, which they were unable to do because of the pandemic. SVPA has since continued with its volunteering efforts.

Through the second half of 2022, some 100 parents and pupils painted about 15 homes. Earlier in 2023, SVPA organised a carnival at an aged home that included performances and a lucky draw, said Ms Teo.

Ms Teo said volunteering is a meaningful way to give back, and offers an opportunity for parents and children to talk about how they can help the less fortunate.

Her advice to those who are on the fence about volunteering?

“There are so many things to help out with. Just do it,” she said. “You may not feel that what you are doing makes a lot of difference, but to (the beneficiaries), it does.”