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ChildAid raises over S$2m for disadvantaged kids
10 December 2021
From left, UOB Managing Director Rosalind Lee, Chief Executive Officer of Resorts World at Sentosa Pte. Ltd Tan Hee Teck, chairman of SPH Media Khaw Boon Wan, Editor-In-Chief of The Straits Times Warren Fernandez, President Halimah Yacob, her husband Mohammed Abdullah Alhabshee, The Business Times editor Wong Wei Kong, Citi managing director Hector E. Garcia, businessman and MES group founder and CEO Mohamed Abdul Jaleel, and SPH Media Trust CEO Patrick Daniel, pictured during ChildAid 2021. BT PHOTO: Mark Cheong
CHILD performers as young as 8 thrilled audiences at the ChildAid charity concert organised by The Business Times (BT) and The Straits Times (ST) on Thursday (Nov 9) night.
Young ballerina Maxine Mok, 12, was in fine form dancing an excerpt from Marius Petipa’s The Sleeping Beauty. Pianist Jessie Meng, 14, executed Prokofiev’s ferocious and complex Toccata with panache. Soprano Raeanne Wong, 16, delivered a breathtaking rendition of Think Of Me from Phantom Of The Opera, her clear voice hitting all the requisite high notes.
By the end of the night, the 17th edition of ChildAid had managed to raise S$2,008,711 for socially-disadvantaged children across Singapore. The sum included generous donations from main sponsors UOB and MES, and platinum sponsors were Citi Singapore and Tote Board. Resorts World Sentosa was the venue partner.
The event has drawn a total of S$26.76 million over the years for its two charities, The Business Times Budding Artists Fund (BT BAF) and The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund. The former helps artistically-talented children from low-income families pursue their dreams, while the latter helps underprivileged kids pay for their school meals and transport fare.
President Halimah Yacob was guest-of-honour for the event once again. In her foreword for the programme booklet, she called ChildAid “a key event in raising funds for young beneficiaries... This is a show – in multiple senses of the word – of resilience and spirit.”
“Resilience and spirit” was certainly the mood the concert hoped to convey. ChildAid began with the inspiring song Born To Be Brave from the High School Musical franchise, sung by 3 teenage girls flanked by 6 dancers from Jitterbugs Swingapore.
It segued into other stirring numbers such a propulsive piano piece from Pirates Of The Caribbean played by Justin Low and the finale performance of ChildAid’s theme song A World To Imagine composed by the late Iskandar Ismail.
BT editor Wong Wei Kong said: “In these challenging times, The Business Times remains committed to helping underprivileged youth through the BT BAF.
“There are many parents of our beneficiaries whose jobs are still badly impacted by the pandemic, making it imperative for us to continue our work.”
The concert’s creative partner is Orangedot Productions and the executive producer is Global Cultural Alliance. The official radio stations are Money 89.3, OneFM91.3 and Kiss92. The multimedia partner is Noontalk, the streaming partner is Meta and the rehearsal venue partner is 10 Square.
Although ChildAid was a live event, home audiences were also treated to its live-stream across multiple online platforms on Thursday night.
The concert can now be viewed on the YouTube channels of BT and ST. Visit https://tinyurl.com/2v4ee7fc to watch the concert.
Jessie Meng, 14, performs Toccata, Op. 11 at ChildAid 2021 held at Resorts World Sentosa on 9 December, 2021. BT PHOTO: Mark Cheong
12-year-old Maxine Mok, performs the Princess Florine Variation at ChildAid 2021 held at Resorts World Sentosa on 9 December, 2021. BT PHOTO: Mark Cheong
The Studio Ghibli Medley performed during ChildAid 2021 held at Resorts World Sentosa on 9 December, 2021. BT PHOTO: Mark Cheong
The Business Times © Singapore Press Holdings Limited. Reproduced with permission
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