OFFICERS' WIVES SET UP MINDS FUND

Caring Hearts Society, the charity arm of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Officers Wives' Club (OWC), officially launched the Caring Hearts Society-MINDS Fund on 16 Sep, to provide a steady source of financial aid to meet the ad hoc needs of MINDS (Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore).

The fund will start off with an initial sum of $50,000, and will be sustained by proceeds from the charity shops run by OWC and other charity drives.

"This marks a very important milestone for our club. It shows our commitment to help the less fortunate in our society," said OWC President Mrs Judie Ng, wife of Lieutenant-General Ng Yat Chung, the Chief of Defence Force.

"We are very blessed to be able to contribute to the needs of the intellectually disabled."

At the SIA-MINDS Employment Development Centre where the launch was held, guest-of-honour Mrs Teo Chee Hean, the wife of the Defence Minister, also presented the key to a 12-seater Nissan Urvan, to representatives from MINDS.

It was the fourth vehicle donated to MINDS by the club, and will be used to ferry MINDS trainees from their homes to the centre.

Mr Aaron Ng, the executive director of MINDS, said the organisation was "eternally grateful" for the efforts of OWC, especially for its part in helping to integrate the trainees back into society.

"The funds are used not only to improve the programmes we have, but more importantly, to uplift the quality of life of the trainees," he said.

"For example, the charity shops that are run by the club employ our trainees and pay them salaries for their work. This improves their self-esteem and gives them a chance to have a meaningful occupation, to earn an income to support themselves."

The two charity shops operated by OWC sell donated and used items to the public.

Called Treasure Minds and Thrifty Ideas, the shops are managed by a dedicated group of volunteers, led by Mrs Gloria Leo and Mrs Susan Yeo, who painstakingly collect, sort and price the various items.

"The volunteers do it simply because they want to; because they know that it will make a difference in the lives of the needy," explained Mrs Ng.

The SAF OWC was established in 1974 to provide opportunities for wives of SAF officers to gather and interact informally through social, educational and charitable activities.

From 2002 to 2004, the club raised and donated a total of $561,000 for their three adopted charities the SAF Benevolent Fund, MINDS and the Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund.

The club also organises programmes and outings which benefit members and their families in areas of personal development, health, education, family growth, and most importantly, providing a better understanding of the roles that the husbands and fathers play in national defence.