Message from Chairman – Mr. Toh Soon Huat JP
Message from Chairman
Mr. Toh Soon Huat JP, BBM, PVPA
Executive Chairman, Sian Chay Medical Institution
President Volunteerism & Philanthropy Award (PVPA) 2015 Winner
Love Spouts from the Soil
“The farmer is tolling at noon; the sweat is dripping down the soil. Who knows the grains in the dishes come from this hard work.” This ancient Chinese poem, “Sympathy for Farmers”, is familiar to many people and it is also the earliest poem we learned in our childhood
Love is a seed buried in everyone’s heart. It needs fertilizer, water and sunshine. It absorbs nutrition in the soil and waits for the moment for sprouting. And we are like farmers. Sometimes we have tough times. We sow the seed in the soil but encounter drought and floods, and eventually we harvest nothing in the autumn. Sometimes we have happy times. We work hard, we are not afraid of bitterness or fatigue, and we always keep the seed in our hearts. We may get a hundredfold harvest in the autumn and enjoy the slack season in winter. However, charity never has a slack season, and needs more patience and love in winter days to cultivate the land and send light and heat to the barren soul.
What is charity exactly? Is it a payback? Contribution? Or all the good sentiments? I want to say that they all belong to charity. Charity is not only a seed, but also a science that “teaches people to fish”. It teaches us to recognize astronomy and geography, and how to sow, water and fertilize the seeds in time as well as how to kill the insects and weeds accordingly. When the weather is hot and dry, it is important to irrigate. When it keeps raining, it is necessary to drain the water. It must comply with the need of seed growth and follow the trend. Only in this way, will it be fruitful in autumn.
Let us join hands together, to sow, water, fertilize and care for seed of love. Let it takes root in everybody’s heart, grow into a big tree sheltering every life and grow into fruits sweetening every soul.
At the moment, Singapore’s population is ageing rapidly. The ageing population means that the burden of chronic diseases is getting greater and more complex. More people will need us to care for in the near future. The government’s policies benefits entrepreneurs as well as the residents. It is a responsibility for entrepreneurs to give back to the society and support the government to take care of the vulnerable groups in the society. The development of Sian Chay Medical Institution is inseparable from the support and care from the government, entrepreneurs and benevolent people.
I would like to express my gratitude to Mr. Kelvin Toh, Director of Se7en Media, who has always dedicated himself to the fund-raising activities of Sian Chay Medical Institution. Also, thanks to Mr. Lim Teck Bin and his family for their generous donation of $200,000 donation which can subsidize 20,000 senior citizens to enjoy free consultation and medicine. The mood of the whole family will be affected if any family member gets sick. Helping one people equals to helping one family.
For a long time, Sian Chay has adhered to the five core values “Forgiveness, Universal Love, Compassion, Gratitude and Blessing”, supporting the nation building and fostering a harmonious society. Because we believe that “Nation Progresses, Family Prospers; Family Harmony, Successful Endeavours. Forward with the Nation, Bonding with the People.” We actively support charity causes and participate in charity activities organized by community organizations and community centres to contribute to the society. The charity platform of Sian Chay is dedicated to promoting racial harmony and social stability. Everyone should cherish the social development, social progress, social stability. We should love and care for each other, live together in harmony, and create a prosperous, loving and caring Singapore. Because we believe everyone is responsible to take care of the future of Singapore.
Charity is a kind of true love. It is sincere, compassionate, gratitude, brightness, and priceless. It is a kind of sincerity, a kind of intrinsic value, a kind of movement, a kind of learning, a kind of self-cultivation for life enrichment and value of life.
I would like to sincerely thank all our guests for taking time to attend “Sian Chay Charity Dinner”.
Hereby, I would also like to thank the various groups, entrepreneurs, philanthropists, volunteers, directors, and colleagues who have supported Sian Chay Medical Institution. It is with your support and encouragement that Sian Chay Medical Institution can relieve the pain of more and more patients and help them live a healthy and happy life.
On behalf of the management & staff and beneficiaries, I wish to express my sincere appreciation to all of you.
I wish everyone good health, success in work, and good luck.
Thank you very much.