Chester Ong, a 41-year-old father of two who benefited from unconditional monthly support as a child, now supports the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre’s Giving Circles initiative, which pairs small groups of five to eight people with families in need for at least six months with no fixed criteria or conditions attached. Unlike most assistance in Singapore that comes with eligibility thresholds, Giving Circles operate on an informal basis where donors show up regularly and build genuine friendships with recipient families. Ong involves his own children in the initiative, having already introduced them to community service through activities like litter collection and setting up a neighbourhood library at Taman Jurong Community Club.
- 💰 Ong’s childhood household received “$100 every month” from a private company with “no strings attached,” an experience that shaped his approach to giving back.
- 🤝 The family supported by Ong’s Giving Circle is “a single mother who’s caring for both her son and her aged parents,” and the ice-breaker moment came when the boy “joined an impromptu football kickabout” with the adults.
- 🩸 Ong “was awarded the highest accolade for blood donation in 2021 after making over 200 blood donations,” a commitment that began at age 16 as “a dare among friends at a mobile donation drive along Orchard Road.”
Source: RICE Media – Read the full article →
