TAKING HEART

UOB donates S$1 million to ChildAid charity concert

The banks raised the money from its SME customers earlier this year

Helmi Yusof

Published Mon, Jun 27, 2022 · 05:50 AM

UOB is set to donate S$1 million to the 18th edition of ChildAid, the annual children’s charity concert organised by The Business Times and The Straits Times, which raises funds for two charities, The Business Times Budding Artists Fund (BT BAF) and The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund (ST SPMF) respectively.

Earlier this year, the bank went through lengths to raise the funds from its small and medium-sized enterprise customers, who gave with generosity.

The first half of the donation, S$500,000, was presented to BT BAF on Friday night at a dinner theatre production staged by the fund’s beneficiaries at the youth arts training centre, 10 Square Youth.

(From left) Janice Leong, executive director, corporate wealth management, commercial banking, UOB, presenting a cheque donation of $500,000 to ChildAid, represented here by Phan Ming Yen, chief operating officer of The Rice Company, which manages The Business Times Budding Artists Fund, and Helmi Yusof, co-chair of the organising committee of ChildAid 2022. TRCL

The production, titled Mau Tunang, Tak Mau Tunang (To Get Engaged, or Not To Get Engaged), was a high-spirited and endearing Romeo And Juliet-inspired musical about a young man from a Peranakan family and a young woman from an Indian family who fall in love but face objections from their parents.

Unlike Romeo and Juliet, however, this star-crossed love story had a happy ending, with both sets of parents coming to terms with their children’s choices and learning to live together.

As guests were treated to Peranakan food prepared by 10 Square Youth in-house diner Café One O, young performers danced around them in beautiful sarong kebayas and batik shirts. Grown-up performers Melissa Sidek, Bibik Sambal Belachan and Bibik Francis from the theatre troupe Rasa Sayang Singapura added distinct Peranakan flavour to the banter.

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Grown-up performer Melissa Sidek (centre) acted alongside the young beneficiaries of The Business Times Budding Artists Fund. TRCL

The story was interweaved with popular folk songs such as Ai Pia Cia Eh Yia (Strive To Win) and Nona Nona Zaman Sekarang (Young Women Today).

Managed by The RICE Company Ltd (a not-for-profit arts and culture charity organisation with IPC status), BT BAF reaches out to children and youth aged 6 to 19 from less privileged homes and provides them with free structured arts training programmes to boost their creativity and psychological wellbeing. Since its inception in 2005, BT BAF has helped over 22,000 children and youth.

The other half of the S$1 million donation will go to ST SPMF, which supports more than 10,000 students from low-income families annually with school-related expenses such as buying a meal during recess and paying for transport.

The beneficiaries of The Business Times Budding Artists Fund staged a delightful Peranakan-themed dinner theatre comedy directed by Sugiman Rahmat, about star-crossed lovers and their families. TRCL

Guest-of-honour Janice Leong, executive director of corporate wealth management, commercial banking, UOB, said: “UOB believes that art and education can enrich the lives of children and youth in the community, and uplift them especially during challenging times. As such, we are delighted that our support, together with the generous contributions from our customers, will enable us to continue providing children and youth with opportunities to realise their potential.”

Now in its 18th year, the fundraising concert ChildAid 2022 is set to return in December with a large cast and a full-capacity audience. Tickets will go on sale at a later date.