SINGAPORE – A group of over 50 volunteers recently spent an afternoon bringing joy to the elderly residents of Lee Ah Mooi Old Age Home. 

The volunteers engaged the elderly folk with games such as bingo, and a sing-along session which saw some of the residents gamely taking the stage.

Volunteers also made their rounds to the wards, spending quality time by getting to know the residents and listening to them reminisce about the past.

The group consists of employees from Kingsmen Creatives, a communication design and production group, and students of Students Care Service (SCS). 

Mr Andrew Cheng, Group Chief Executive Officer of Kingsmen, said: “We believe in making a difference to the lives of people around us, and in helping to meet the needs of the community. I am heartened by the enthusiasm displayed by our staff and SCS as we rallied together to bring smiles to the residents of Lee Ah Mooi Old Age Home.”

Lee Ah Mooi Old Age Home was established in the mid-1960s and it seeks to provide eldercare services for the sick and needy in Singapore.

Student Care Service is an adopted charity of AsiaOne. 

SINGAPORE – A special panel was convened on Wednesday (Nov 2) to look into the reasons why Mr Edwin Seah, the executive director of the Singapore Environment Council (SEC), was suspended from his role in the charity last month.

Mr Seah was at the SEC office when The Straits Times visited on Wednesday afternoon. Also in attendance was council chairman Lam Joon Khoi, National Environment Agency director Dalson Chung, and Teo Ho Pin, mayor of the North West CDC.

The Straits Times understands the panel was supposed to be convened at 3.45pm. It finally started at about 4pm.

Mr Seah, 46, had said he was not given any reasons when he was first told via a phone call from Mr Lam on Oct 13.

The committee of inquiry by the SEC to look into the reasons for his suspension was supposed to be held on Oct 19, but was postponed till today (Nov 2).

The Straits Times understands that Mr Seah was suspended for not following standard operating procedure during an SEC event, and that he was under suspicion for being the person who had in February anonymously emailed the newsrooms of Singapore, claiming there was a conflict of interest between SEC chairman Isabella Loh and the projects she undertook.

Mr Seah’s suspension is the latest in a string of personnel changes in the charity. In April, Mr Kavickumar, 27, left to join Asia Pulp and Paper (APP). Former chief executive Jose Raymond, 44, also joined APP in January but left last month and has since set up his own public relations firm.

SEC is a non-governmental organisation that spreads environmental awareness through training programmes, awards and its Singapore Green Labelling Scheme. It was started in 1995 and has 28 full-time staff.

Mr Seah, who was previously at the Singapore Tourism Board and Energy Market Authority, was nominated along with SEC former eco-certification head Kavickumar Muruganathan for The Straits Times Singaporean of the Year award last year. They were recognised for raising awareness about the link between the haze and unsustainable paper products.

This article was first published on Nov 2, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

SINGAPORE – Supermarket chain Cold Storage has apologised for a price promotion on beef at one of its outlets during Deepavali, acknowledging that it was “insensitive” to Hindus.

A photo of the promotion, which advertised a 38 per cent discount for certain beef products, was uploaded by Twitter user @AdamFlinter on Monday (Oct 31).

“Cold Storage’s #deepavali promotion was on beef!!! Cultural understanding eh?” he wrote, adding that the photo was from a friend.

Hindus generally abstain from eating beef as they regard the cow as sacred.

In a statement to The Straits Times on Wednesday, Cold Storage explained that the promotion was put up at one store by a junior team member who had “overlooked the cultural sensitivity”.

It added: “We have since explained and coached him on the cultural sensitivity and he assured us that he had no intention to disrespect the Hindus. We also took this opportunity immediately to coach all our team members to be mindful of cultural sensitivities in Singapore.

“We sincerely apologise to all Hindus who are celebrating Deepavali on this matter.”

This article was first published on Nov 2, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.