CELEBRATING THE GIVING SPIRIT

"The mission of the Specialist and Warrant Officer Institute is to develop soldiers with strong value-based leadership skills and a sense of purpose towards defending the country. We also believe that community service is a purposeful and excellent activity to inculcate the value of compassion in our Specialists and Warrant Officers."

Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Donovan Chao Wei Ching, Commanding Officer (CO) of Specialist Cadet School (SCS) 1, said this when asked about what inspired him and his team to continue contributing to the Community Chest (ComChest) for several years.

In recognition of their long-standing support, the SCS and the Specialist and Warrant Officer Advance School (SWAS) received the 15-Year Outstanding SHARE Award as well as the SHARE Gold Award at this year's ComChest Awards.

Assistant Chief of General Staff Colonel (COL) Yew Chee Leung received the awards on behalf of the SCS and SWAS during a ceremony held at the Istana on 27 Sep.

President Tony Tan Keng Yam and Chairman of the ComChest Committee Philip Tan Yuen Fah presented a total of 422 awards to the ComChest donors, which included 152 Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) units and Ministry of Defence departments.

These awards are given out in recognition of the contributions and high participation rate of organisations whose employees who make monthly donations through the SHARE programme. The SHARE awards comprise Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze.

The SHARE Gold award is given to organisations with participation rate of 40 to 94 percent depending on staff strength. They must make regular contributions for at least nine months, with a minimum annual contribution of $1,000.

The Outstanding SHARE Awards recognise organisations that have maintained their employees' participation rate at a high level for consecutive years.

LTC Chao believes that the reason for his team's active support over the years is that they hold "Care for Soldiers" -- one of the SAF's core values -- close to their hearts. "Being a leadership school, we hope to be able to influence others to do their part for society and care for the underprivileged."

LTC Daniel Tee Zhen Shou, CO of RSS Conqueror, shares the same sentiment. The unit received the 10-Year Outstanding SHARE Award and SHARE Platinum Award.

The SHARE Platinum award is given to organisations with a staff participation rate of more than 70 percent.

Said LTC Tee: "In Singapore's fast-paced society, it is easy to get caught up in a hectic work schedule. It it is only when we make time to serve the community that we are reminded of how fortunate we are.

"That is why, besides making monetary donations, we get the team to help out every year at certain events and organisations. For example, this year, RSS Conqueror and other units in 171 Squadron (SQN) helped to organise a visit by two Voluntary Welfare Organisations (VWO), which take care of underprivileged children, to Navy@Vivo."

He added: "The planning process was tough but when we saw the smiling faces of the children, it was all worth it!"

COL Jerica Goh, Head Naval Training, received the award on behalf of RSS Conqueror.