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Touched by kindness of strangers, S’porean with cerebral palsy pays it forward

SINGAPORE — Over the past three decades, Mr Paul Lee, who was born with cerebral palsy, has experienced numerous acts of kindness from Singaporeans. When he was in primary school, a janitor would carry him from his classroom to the toilet.

Over the past three decades, Mr Paul Lee, who was born with cerebral palsy, has experienced numerous acts of kindness from Singaporeans. These acts of kindness have spurred him to help others. Photo: Raj Nadarajan/TODAY

Over the past three decades, Mr Paul Lee, who was born with cerebral palsy, has experienced numerous acts of kindness from Singaporeans. These acts of kindness have spurred him to help others. Photo: Raj Nadarajan/TODAY

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SINGAPORE — Over the past three decades, Mr Paul Lee, who was born with cerebral palsy, has experienced numerous acts of kindness from Singaporeans. When he was in primary school, a janitor would carry him from his classroom to the toilet.

Later, when he attended polytechnic, bus drivers who recognised him over time would go out of their way to find the young man a seat on the bus.

These acts of kindness spurred Mr Lee, now 38, to go on to help others in need.

The tax consultant is an avid volunteer, and he helps out in many activities that range from helping taxi drivers, hawkers and others file their income taxes online, to assisting commuters in navigating MRT delays through the Facebook group Tata SMRT. Tata SMRT is an acronym for The Alternate Transport Advisory & Singapore Magnificent Rescue Team.

Mr Lee, who is well-versed in bus routes islandwide, was approached for help last year by the founder of Tata SMRT. With the help of another page administrator and other members, he drew up a spreadsheet of alternative bus routes for commuters during train service disruptions.

Singaporeans like Mr Lee, and those who “have the heart to give back to the community and make a difference” are at the core of a caring and cohesive society, said Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat in his Budget speech on Monday (Feb 19) as he announced a slew of measures to increase support for elderly and vulnerable Singaporeans.

Mr Lee’s record of volunteerism began over a decade ago.

In 2005, he responded to a call by the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (Iras) for volunteers to help groups such as taxi drivers file their income taxes electronically. Deployed at the Serangoon Community Club, he did so for a decade until the programme ended in 2015.

In 2010, he started a Facebook group at Iras’s request to allow volunteers to exchange knowledge, mingle and share their problems.

Though the volunteer programme ended three years ago, Mr Lee is still passionate about the cause.

Since last year, he has worked with groups to provide the free service to taxi drivers, hawkers and others at various locations, including Whampoa Community Club.

The service will run at a tuition centre in Kovan next month and in April during the weekends. He has recruited nearly 30 volunteers to help with the eight sessions so far, with partners such as City Funeral Singapore stepping forward to sponsor items such as stationery and printers.

His volunteer work also extends to the silver generation, as Mr Lee, who in his role as a Pioneer Generation ambassador also visits the homes of seniors in the Tanjong Pagar Group Representation Constituency to provide them with information on initiatives that could benefit them, such as the Community Health Assist Scheme.

Mr Lee credits his spirit of volunteerism to the kindness of strangers he met when he was younger, as they inspired him to pay it forward. Twenty years after his polytechnic days, he is still in touch with some of the bus drivers he met on his way to school and they have become friends.

In 2016, Mr Lee was awarded the annual Silent Heroes Award by the Hillview Civilians Sports Club for his work in the community.

But he told TODAY that he is not involved in volunteerism for the recognition.

He said: “I just do what I can to help…The good thing is how we can come out to help (the community). If their problem is solved, they are happy and they will have a smile on their face. That’s the satisfaction that you get.”

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