Singapore President Tony Tan handing out an award to Pavithran, a SportCares beneficiary. (Photo courtesy of Singapore Sports Council)
Seletar Country Club, Saturday, October 26, 2013 – More than 130 golfers took to the greens to raise $288,000 for the SportCares Foundation, the largest amount raised in a single event since the foundation was launched a year ago.
SportCares, an initiative that uses sport as a force for social good, has benefited the lives of more than 630 underprivileged children and youth through customized programmes and workshops. The foundation is one of the recommendations of Vision 2030.
Dr Tony Tan Keng Yam, President of Singapore and the Patron for the SportCares Movement, was the Guest-of-Honour at the event and presented the awards to beneficiaries and volunteers from the Saturday Night Lights football programme as part of the inaugural SportCares Rising Stars Awards.
The President also witnessed the launch of the Water Lions Kayaking Orientation Programme (Water Lions), an initiative supported by SportCares in collaboration with Seletar Country Club and the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) College Central.
Starting from January 2014, Seletar Country Club (SCC) will host an estimated 30 students from ITE College Central who will receive weekly kayaking lessons.
Each run of the Water Lions programme will be conducted over six weekly sessions. Students will be divided into three groups and will rotate every week to try three different kayaks (pool, sit-on-top boats and sit-in boats) in both controlled (pool) and natural (reservoir) environments. Knowledge and skills imparted include personal health and safety, maneuvering, control and rescue procedures. Games will also be incorporated to inject fun and encourage teamwork.
At the end of six sessions, there will be a four-day Water Sports Camp for the students which will incorporate the One Star Certification Award, introduction to sailing and other activities (bowling, dodgeball, outdoor adventure activities) at SCC. Midway through the block of six sessions, the youth will also be taken on an environmental course with the Waterways Watch Society.
Singapore Sports Council (SSC) Deputy Chairman, Cheah Kim Teck said, “I would like to thank the members of Seletar Country Club for their generous contribution to the SportCares Foundation through the golf event today. I’m also delighted that Seletar Country Club will be partnering with ITE College Central in this new initiative funded by SportCares. It is a fantastic example of how sport can be used to teach values and life-skills beyond the classroom, as well as show that one can indeed live better through sports.”
Earlier this year, SportCares launched Saturday Night Lights (SNL), a football programme that provides free coaching and workshops for youth aged 12 to 20 years old. The programme has drawn support from the grassroots and the corporate world.
To date, Saturday Night Lights has benefited almost 300 youths. The Saturday Night Lights awards were given out tonight to recognize the players who have grown through our training programme as well as the volunteers who have helped.
From its first centre at Jurong Stadium, Saturday Night Lights is set to expand to two more locations on the island by early of next year.
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