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SINGAPORE: Community Chest, ComChest, plans to raise a record S$55.2 million this year.
This is S$2.6 million higher than last year's target.
The funds raised are expected to benefit some 320,000 people this year.
ComChest, the fund-raising arm of the National Council of Social Service (NCSS), said despite the economic downturn last year, it managed to meet its target of S$52.6 million last year.
Even with the higher target, fund-raising channels remain largely the same, through third-party charity events, corporate donations as well as ordinary individuals through the organisation's Share Programme.
Jennie Chua, chairman of Community Chest, said: "If we can increase by another S$1 million, S$2 million by engaging new participants, or asking existing participants to give us another S$5 a month, I think it is a very real source of fund-raising possibility."
Ms Chua said the Community Chest does not raise funds for the purpose of keeping reserves.
She added: "There're some fund-raising, which is the other way round, they go and collect first then they look for people to give money to. We work the other way. We say, where are the needs, identify those, and then you go and raise funds for that year, going forward, to make sure that the needs are met."
The higher target this year is due to greater demand for programmes for children with special needs, which will use 47 per cent of the funds raised.
Ms Chua said: "Are there more children? I don't think so. But it's more need for example things like early intervention, your early diagnosis and early intervention for infants and children which we are forecasting will have over 20 per cent increase in enrolment and 10 per cent increase in the enrolment for children with a very wide spectrum of autism disorders."
Ang Bee Lian, CEO of the National Council of Social Service, said: "We believe that for children, for example, when we provide early diagnosis, early intervention, we get a lot more out of the resources that we put into any programmes. Hence we concentrate quite a lot of our resources on children and we've really seen them really make improvements when put into resourcing much earlier.
The rest of the funds will be used to help families in need, the disabled and the elderly.
- CNA/jy
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