Lions Clubs’ 50th anniversary gift to help 22 NUS students in financial need

6 March 2009

From left to right: Past District Governor Isabel Cheong, Chairman, Singapore Lions Community Service Foundation; Guest-of Honour Hjh. Ellis Suriyati, International Director, Lions Clubs International; and Prof Tan Tai Yong, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at NUS

The Singapore Lions Clubs marks 50 years of community service by giving S$75,000 to help bright but financially needy tertiary students. At NUS, 22 students from the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) stand to benefit from this gift.

The gift will go towards establishing the Singapore Lions Clubs’ Bursary at the Faculty. Each Bursary is worth S$2,000 and will be given out over a three-year period. They will go to academically talented Singaporeans or Singapore Permanent Residents who are in need of financial aid. For the next academic year 2009/2010, 10 NUS students will receive the Bursaries.

The gift from the Lions Clubs will also benefit students at the Singapore Management University (SMU) with the establishment of the Singapore Lions Clubs’ Study Award.

The first Lions Club was founded in 1958 in Singapore with the aim of being the foremost voluntary welfare service organisation in the country. It has focused on helping the disadvantaged and underprivileged elderly. Recipients of the bursaries are encouraged to visit and participate in the services and activities offered by the Lions Home for the Elders and the Lions Befrienders Service.

Past District Governor Isabel Cheong, Chairman, Singapore Lions Community Service Foundation said: “The contribution is a first step in our outreach to youths in Singapore.”

She added that this gift will “allow us to connect more closely with young people in both universities and nurture their participation in the Singapore Lions Clubs’ services for disadvantaged communities”.

Prof Tan Tai Yong, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at NUS said that the Bursary will provide much needed financial support especially given the current economic slowdown.

He continued that the Faculty with its long tradition of engagement with the social services sector has produced generations of leaders in the field. Therefore, he said “the contribution by the Singapore Lions Clubs underscores the close link which exists between the Faculty and the community service sector.”