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Industry body donates $138k to ST pocket money fund to support ChildAid

Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry Chee Hong Tat (centre) at the 30th anniversary of the Singapore Plastic Industry Association, when SPIA donated $138,000 to The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund (STSPMF). With Mr Chee are (from left) SPIA vice-president Tay Lyong Hwee; president Ronald Lim; legal adviser Robson Lee; permanent honorary president Steven Chan; STSPMF general manager Tan Bee Heong; and SPIA secretary-general Patrick Ong.ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO

More than $130,000 was donated to The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund (STSPMF) at the Singapore Plastic Industry Association's (SPIA) gala dinner last Friday night.

The association marked its 30th anniversary by making a donation of $138,000 to the fund in support of ChildAid 2019, an annual charity concert organised by The Straits Times and The Business Times.

Mr Chee Hong Tat, Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry, and Education, was the guest of honour at the dinner, which was held to highlight the association's achievements and contributions to the plastic sector in Singapore and around the region over the years.

Mr Chee said the plastic industry has developed alongside Singapore's economy, and is now a more high-tech and capital-intensive industry than before.

He added that since the association started 30 years ago, the industry has grown from strength to strength, from an annual turnover of $6 billion in 1989 to $13 billion today.

He also applauded the association's donation to the fund, describing it as a meaningful gesture to give back to society and provide for future generations.

Mr Chee and members of the SPIA's board of directors presented a cheque to the fund's general manager, Ms Tan Bee Heong.

The dinner at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront hotel was attended by about 400 people, including SPIA members and associates, representatives from government agencies and other trade associations.

The STSPMF provides recess and transport money to students from low-income families.

The ChildAid concert, which started in 2005, has raised $18 million for the STSPMF and The Business Times Budding Artists Fund, which have helped more than 175,000 children and youth.

This year's concert will be held on Nov 20 and 21 at the Esplanade Theatre.

The Straits Times © Singapore Press Holdings Limited. Reproduced with permission.