SINGAPORE: Six outstanding individuals and a team have received the Singapore Youth Award this year for excelling in their fields and contributing to society.
The individuals lauded for their achievements are:
- Filmmaker Anthony Chen
- Jane Lee, Singapore’s first female mountaineer to conquer “The Seven Summits”
- Timbre Group co-founder Edward Chia
- Dr Kumaran Rasappan, who scaled Mount Everest to raise funds
- ASEAN Para Games gold medallist Nurulasyiqah Mohammad Taha
- Clinician scientist Dr Iain Tan.
For Dr Kumaran, “No mountain too high” is the name of a fund-raising project that he started, and his personal mantra as well.
He got to know many patients who could not afford their healthcare bills. In 2011, he took no-pay leave for a year and scaled seven mountains including the world’s tallest peak Mount Everest.
He managed to raise more than $40,000 for needy patients.
“With my experiences, and sharing my stories on Everest, I can maybe get youths to see beyond the classroom, organisations to look at the bigger picture, not just Everest as a metaphorical mountain that they’ve got to climb but other challenges that they might face,” said Dr Kumaran.
Dr Kumaran has delivered numerous inspirational talks on his endeavours and volunteers regularly at a programme to help inmates. For his selfless efforts, the 29-year-old received the Singapore Youth Award from Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam at a ceremony on Sunday.
Ms Nurulasyiqah Mohammad Taha was another recipient honoured for her contributions. She first became interested in the ball game, boccia, in 2003 as a freshman in university.
Now, she holds a Sports Excellence scholarship that enables her to train full time; and has won two gold medals in the sport at this year’s ASEAN Para Games.
“I need a lot of assistance, especially with daily activities. However, through boccia, I am able to execute shots and make my own decisions and achieve whatever I set out to do, so that’s the kind of mental empowerment that I want fellow youths and others to be able to experience as well,” said Ms Nurulasyiqah.
“This award is more than an acknowledgement of my efforts. I feel that it’s an affirmation for the people who have supported and helped me to get to where I am today.”
The 30-year-old also volunteers with the Muscular Dystrophy Association (Singapore).
In the Team Award, University-YMCA Singapore was recognised for its exceptional community work efforts and for cultivating in youths a spirit of leadership and volunteerism.
For its community empowerment initiatives, Malay Youth Literary Association (4PM) has been awarded the Medal of Commendation.
Mountain climbers, filmmaker awarded Singapore Youth Award
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét