Never too young to make a difference

EXCITED shouts and peals of laughter filled the air at Resorts World Sentosa on Nov 17, when 700 under-privileged children revelled in a day spent at the Universal Studios theme park and enjoyed performances mounted by pupils of CHIJ (Kellock).

It was a really belated Children's Day treat, postponed from October because of the haze.

The annual charity event, called Children for Children, was organised by CHIJ (Kellock), The Business Times, The RICE Company Limited and Resorts World Sentosa; it was instituted in 2008 as a way for children to reach out to their less-advantaged peers.

Previous editions of Children for Children have taken place at the Singapore Flyer, the Underwater World Singapore and the Singapore Zoo, but for the past few years, participants have delighted at being given free rein in Universal Studios Singapore and riding on the roller-coasters there. For some, it was their first visit to the theme park.

Aside from the trip to Universal Studios, the pupils took in contemporary dance and tap dance performances and were entertained by the choir of CHIJ Kellock.

There was also a drama performance along the SG50 theme, which told the story of a young girl travelling back in time to the founding of Singapore at its key historical moments.

The production had a multimedia backdrop of visual and audio clips, and featured characters such as a a beggar scavenging for food to feed her family and a housewife who was relocated from her kampung home to an HDB flat and had to adapt to a new way to hang out her laundry.

Preesha Magandharan, 10, who played the role of the housewife, said she hoped to perform again next year, because she believes in showing her less-fortunate peers that people do care for them, and that they are not alone.

CHIJ (Kellock) had taken about half a year to conceptualise the whole show and then to rehearse for it.

Parliamentary Secretary for Culture, Community and Youth Baey Yam Keng was the guest of honour at the event, through which S$150,000 was raised through contributions from individuals and companies.

CA Technologies was one of the top donors with its gift of S$15,000; other large donations were made by CWT Limited and OSIM International.

After deducting the day's expenses, the remaining money will go into the Sing50 Fund, a private-sector initiative supported by The Straits Times and The Business Times. The mission of this fund is to preserve and celebrate Singapore's music heritage.