Saturday 8 August 2015

Ideas for Beyond SG 50?


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It is finally Singapore's 50th birthday weekend.  And how about celebrating it with $500???

To my pleasant surprise, staff members at the university will be receiving up to SGD$500 cash bonus for the jubilee celebration.  I don't  know who counts as "staff" here, since in North American universities, there is often a faculty/staff distinction.  But since I got the letter about the $500, I figured that it would be cruel for them to send letters to those who aren't eligible for the cash.

I don't know whether the fund comes from the university or the government.  Either way, as a public institution, this is money from the community.  $500 can go a long way for many, especially if we could multiply that, but perhaps not to those of us who are relatively well-paid (and weren't relying on or expecting any bonus of this sort).

So here is my open inquiry -- does anyone here know how to crowd source?  I would think that many would be interested in donating some or all of their extra bonus.  But if we could set up a fund (whether at the university of with an organization) that can allow people to donate their funds and commemorate this celebration, that could help this little red dot to continue its vision -- to build an equal society.  A vision that still needs much work -- but in this can-do country, that work can be done. 

The people here are motivated and resilient -- let's face it, the heat and humidity mixed with extreme air-conditioning can be major first-world problems for all of us here :-)  But not having been here for very long, I would really like to hear others' ideas of how we can move this forward.  Thoughts?  Are there existing programs in Singapore that we can utilize?  Or would it be a better idea to start a new fund at the university/in the community?  And if you know of people who may know of others who can help with or lead this, leave me a note or email me!

Happy SG 50!

Image credit: cartoon stock


2 comments:

  1. One of my friends asked if I found a way to crowdsource. I'm likely biased, but the National University Health System has a fund that helps to support patients who have limited ability to pay for their health care. Patients in Singapore pay approximately 2/3 of the healthcare costs out of pocket (compared to 10% in the US and even less in other countries with universal coverage).

    Here is a link for those who are interested:
    http://www.nuhs.edu.sg/about-us/make-a-gift/how-to-give/giving-to-patients.html

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  2. Hello Anita. I know it was a while ago but this was an excellent idea for crowd-sourcing. I am pretty sure the patients helped by the 'unneeded extra bonus fund' were grateful. Like them, I always appreciate your contribution to my education years ago--- It was a great initiative. Nice blog by the way

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