A Community of Love

13 Aug 2018

On 7 August 2018, DSTA staff embarked on a day filled with love and the spirit of giving in celebration of Singapore's 53rd birthday. The day included various Volunteer-a-Day (VAD) activities in the morning and booths were set up in DSTA in the afternoon as part of the National Day Observance Ceremony (NDOC) to raise funds for charity.

To kick start the day, more than 600 DSTA staff headed out to 11 different welfare organisations to share their love with the community through a range of activities such as food preparation, food distribution, cleaning and painting as well as sorting of donated items and spending time with the elderly.

Reflecting on his first time taking part in the Willing Hearts programme to prepare meals for the needy, Senior Engineer (InfoComm Infrastructure) Tan Sze Kiat shared: “It can be quite overwhelming for first timers – you simply go into the kitchen and make yourself useful. We quickly learnt that the key to staying organised is to follow the lead of more seasoned volunteers. It was a challenging volunteering experience, particularly when we had to wash the huge cooking woks, but it was also very meaningful and rewarding.”

Procurement Manager Ong Zheng Cong was among the participants who joined the Food Bank’s food distribution efforts.

He said: “I definitely enjoyed myself volunteering! It was interesting to see how we were able to work together quickly to pack and distribute the food packages. We also got to interact with some of the beneficiaries, which gave me a greater awareness of how others in our community may need a helping hand.”

NDOC Web 1

NDOC Web 2 NDOC Web 3

NDOC Web 4 NDOC Web 5

NDOC Web 6 NDOC Web 7

After a morning of VAD activities, staff headed back to the office to commemorate National Day together.

NDOC Web 8_3

Delivering the opening address, Chief Executive Tan Peng Yam expressed his appreciation for all staff who participated in the voluntary activities and set up charity booths as well as those who worked tirelessly for the National Day Parade for the past few months.

He said: “At every NDOC, we gather together as one DSTA to reaffirm our dedication to Singapore and also celebrate our nation’s birthday. I am very inspired by all the effort that our staff put in to contribute to the community.”

Following his address, a video was screened to celebrate DSTA’s contributions to the nation. After the recitation of the National Pledge and singing of the National Anthem, the official ceremony concluded with a series of games featuring Singapore-related questions.

NDOC Web 9 NDOC Web 10

Besides participating in fringe activities such as coaster marbling, caricature drawing, fixing on glitter tattoos and snapping instant photos, DSTA staff also set up booths selling home-made desserts and bubble tea, ice cream, hot dog buns and iconic Singapore snacks such as Kacang Puteh and gem biscuits to raise funds for charity. Proceeds from these booths will go to Community Chest to support various social service organisations serving the elderly, children with special needs, families with difficulties and persons with mental health issues.

Assistant Manager (Corporate Services) Ng Huiluan shared: “It was a memorable NDOC where we had a good opportunity to give back to society. Our colleagues did a good job on the charity booths!”

NDOC Web 11 NDOC Web 12

NDOC Web 13 NDOC Web 14

NDOC Web 15 NDOC Web 16

NDOC Web 17 NDOC Web 18

NDOC Web 19 NDOC Web 20

NDOC Web 21 NDOC Web 22

BACK
TO TOP