SINGAPORE, 28 February 2021 – This year, Community Chest Heartstrings Walk 2021 goes digital for the first time, rallying individuals, public and private sectors to take a step forward together, as every steps counts when supporting families in need, children with special needs and youth-at-risk, adults with disabilities, seniors in need and persons with mental health conditions.
Live-streamed on Community Chest’s Facebook page, the launch of the walk was officiated by Mr Masagos Zulkifli, Minister for Social and Family Development and Second Minister for Health this morning. Co-organised for the 10th consecutive year with Marina Bay Sands, this year’s event introduces interactive digital elements and allows participants to choose from two 5km walk formats – Heartstrings Walk Marina Bay and Heartstrings Walk Anywhere.
With a donation of S$38, participants can take part in the Heartstrings Walk Marina Bay in their own time. The engaging 5km walking route around Marina Bay includes a specially curated interactive experience at five selected checkpoints, where one can find out more about the five social service causes supported by Community Chest. When participants arrive at the checkpoint as verified by the GPS1 on their mobile devices, the checkpoint will be activated, and participants can take part in the interactive challenges.
Donors can also choose to participate in Heartstrings Walk Anywhere with a donation of S$28 and complete the 5km walk at any location of their choice. As at 24 February, $4.7 million has been raised for Community Chest Heartstrings Walk 2021.
Mr George Tanasijevich, Managing Director of Marina Bay Sands, said, “The Community Chest Heartstrings Walk has been an important platform in bringing people from all walks of life in support of social service causes. As co-organiser of the Walk, we are indeed proud to continue our collaboration with Community Chest, and hope individuals and companies will be part of this meaningful initiative to provide support for those in need.”
Mr Andrew da Roza, Co-Chairperson of Community Chest Heartstrings Walk 2021 Committee, said, “Community Chest Heartstrings Walk 2021 has embraced innovation in this digital age by introducing this virtual walk. It is an opportunity for families and friends of every age and ability to come together and have fun, whilst doing good for those who need our support. We hope to encourage everyone to join us on our journey to building a more inclusive Singapore for all – every step counts.”
Several youth leaders from National Youth Council Singapore (NYC) also stepped up to rally their networks to raise funds through their online fundraising campaign pages on GIVE.asia. Prathap S/O Nadaison Latchmanan, 32, Operations Officer from Army Deployment Force, said, “It’s heartening to know that I can play a part in supporting a good cause by participating in the fun walk, and also make a positive difference by rallying my peers to help the people in need.” Prathap is also part of NYC’s INSPIRIT Community, a network of young working adults from the public, private and people sectors who are passionate about and advocate for youth interest on community and national issues.
Registration for Community Chest Heartstrings Walk 2021 started on 22 February and will run till 31 March 2021. Interested participants can register for Heartstrings Walk Marina Bay or Heartstrings Walk Anywhere on comchest.gov.sg/HSWMarinaBay or comchest.gov.sg/HSWanywhere respectively. All participants stand a chance to win attractive prizes along the Marina Bay 5km route when they post a photo with Community Chest Heartstrings Walk’s customised augmented reality filters on Instagram Stories and tag @comchestsg #chsw2021.
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About Community Chest
As the hallmark of care and share, Community Chest has been uniting the community to fundraise and serve those in need, since 1983.
Community Chest supports more than 80 social service agencies to meet underserved, critical social needs. As our fundraising and operating costs are covered mainly by Tote Board, 100% of your contributions goes towards empowering the lives of:
- Adults with disabilities
- Children with special needs and youth-at-risk
- Families in need
- Persons with mental health conditions
- Seniors
*Donations include all private cash donations. Grants from government agencies, including Tote Board, which are not donations, will not qualify for the matching. Community Chest (ComChest) as a fundraising arm of the National Council of Social Service (NCSS), supporting about 80 social service organisations, will not be subject to the $400,000 per IPC cap. Instead, 20% of the total donation (net of the donation that is already matched by existing grants) received by ComChest in the qualifying period will be matched by the BCF.
Find out more at comchest.gov.sg.
About SG Cares
SG Cares is a national movement dedicated to building a more caring and inclusive home for all. The movement invites all who live in Singapore to put values into action through active volunteerism, ground-up efforts and everyday acts of care. It also aims to build capability across various sectors and organisations to grow opportunities for volunteering. By inspiring and supporting one another, we can show the world that we are a nation with a big heart.
Find out more at www.sgcares.sg.
