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MINDS students take part in One Community Day for first time

SINGAPORE — Usually one to sleep in on weekends, Chan Zi Heng was hard at work early yesterday morning packing bags of groceries to be given out to 2,400 needy households in Marine Parade as part of the constituency’s annual One Community Day.

MINDS student Nathan Tan passes a box of biscuits to ESM Goh Chok Tong during the One Community Day 2017 @ Marine Parade GRC Project on Jan 15, 2017. Photo: Jason Quah/TODAY

MINDS student Nathan Tan passes a box of biscuits to ESM Goh Chok Tong during the One Community Day 2017 @ Marine Parade GRC Project on Jan 15, 2017. Photo: Jason Quah/TODAY

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SINGAPORE — Usually one to sleep in on weekends, Chan Zi Heng was hard at work early yesterday morning packing bags of groceries to be given out to 2,400 needy households in Marine Parade as part of the constituency’s annual One Community Day.

The 14-year-old, who has delayed intellectual development, was volunteering with 24 of his schoolmates from the Movement for the Intellectually Disabled in Singapore’s Towner Garden School — the first time the school’s students were involved in a community activity of such a large scale.

Said Zi Heng’s father, Mr Tan Tiong Han, 48, who signed his son up for the event: “The event gave him a chance to socialise with people who are different from him. More importantly, I wanted him to realise that there are others who are more in need than we are, and to help them.”

Principal Cindy Lim said she welcomed more opportunities to have her students involved in community activities and put to use the life skills they learnt in classrooms.

Emeritus Senior Minister and Marine Parade GRC MP Goh Chok Tong cited the TODAY Enable Fund as one avenue in which members of the public can support people with special needs.

The fund aims to enhance the education, skills and employment prospects of persons with disabilities — whom Mr Goh noted have fewer such opportunities once they graduate from school.

About 700 volunteers from schools, corporate organisations and grassroots were involved in yesterday’s event. Besides food distribution, volunteers also helped clean 52 rental flat units occupied by aged and physically-challenged residents.

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