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Icing
On The Cake
Food from the Heart wins in a big way at the Inaugural National
Volunteerism and Philanthropy Awards!!!!! Lim Sun Sun visits the
Istana for the landmark event.
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It was a night of
suspense. We all knew something exciting was in store
for FFTH at the Istana that night, but what exactly? The
event, held on 23 November 2004, was the Inaugural National
Volunteerism and Philanthropy Awards, graced by President
S R Nathan, and featuring the who’s who of Singapore’s
volunteerism and philanthropy community. The awards honour
“those who have set excellence benchmarks in heightening
the spirit of giving in Singapore”. FFTH’s
tireless efforts to distribute food and other essentials
to the needy had caught public attention and the recognition
of the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre (NVPC).
Along with other organisations like the Singapore Children’s
Society, Hewlett Packard Singapore, the Lee Foundation
and the Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund, FFTH was
to be honoured that night. But in what way?
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Thankfully, the suspense was not for much longer. In his
opening speech, NVPC Chairman Mr Willie Cheng described
the winner of the New Non-Profit Initiative Award as an
organisation that “provided bread and butter to many”.
Aha! That would be FFTH he was talking about, surely? Mr
Cheng also noted that many people would be surprised at
the recipient of the New Non-Profit Initiative Award - not
because it was not a worthy winner, but because it had accomplished
so much in such a short time that people felt that it had
been around for far longer than its one and a half years.
Another dead giveaway!
The results were finally
announced in a compelling video montage of all the winning
organisations. Footage of FFTH volunteers fanning out across
the island daily with unsold bread, disadvantaged families
collecting books and toys for their children, and chefs
hard at work baking bread and cakes for the needy was aired.
FFTH co-founder Mrs Christine Laimer also appeared in the
video, speaking with conviction about how the success of
FFTH hinged on the efforts of its 1400 volunteers. She also
explained that FFTH’s recipe for success was our emphasis
on integrity, efficiency, professionalism and accountability.
When it was stated in the video that FFTH had distributed
a staggering $2.4 million worth of food last year, an audible
gasp could be heard from the audience.
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After the video, Christine and Henry Laimer went onstage
to collect the award from President Nathan, receiving rapturous
applause. Winning this award is really the icing on the
cake for one and half satisfying years of helping the needy.
The beautiful purple glass statuette that will take pride
of place in the FFTH headquarters is a luminous symbol of
the collective efforts of all FFTH volunteers, and a reminder
that we must persist.
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