The Chiam See Tong Sports Fund (CSTSF) is looking to raise at least S$125,000 from its annual fundraising dinner which will be held virtually on 2 October 2020.
The event, dubbed the Chiam See Tong Sports Fund “LIVE FOR SPORTS” Fundraiser 2020, will be the organisation’s first-ever fundraiser which will involve 400 donors who will not be congregating at any venue. Instead, they will have their nine-course meals from The Salted Plum restaurant delivered to their homes on event day.
With the help of web solutions service provider RAWR Global, the CSTSF digitalized the donation process for the dinner by integrating a dinner page on the CSTSF website, which allowed all donors to purchase a package and make a payment electronically.
On event day, the dinner programme will be broadcast through Zoom and the CSTSF Facebook page for all donors and partners to follow while they consume their specially curated dinner for between four to five people.
“Sports has the ability to bring people together, and while COVID-19 continues to limit the kind of interactions we may have with large groups of people, that does not stop us from being creative in our outreach and in our approach towards raising funds to support our under-resourced athletes,” said Ang Peng Siong, Chairman of the Board of the CSTSF.
“While the sport industry continues to get back on its feet, we must do our part to ensure that we help as many aspiring athletes as possible who come from under-resourced backgrounds. I am thankful for the organizing team for piecing everything together creatively despite the many constraints faced in organizing events to raise funds,” he added.
The organizing team for the e-dinner is led by Board Directors of the CSTSF Jose Raymond and Damon Yong, and the Commercial Director of the Singapore Rugby Union Douglas Danapal, who has volunteered to help the CSTSF for the fundraiser this year.
Since its inauguration in March 2017, the CSTSF has assisted more than 30 young athletes. Some of these include gymnast Robin Sim, sailor Olivia Chen, and rower Joan Poh among many others.
The CSTSF raised about S$150,000 at its fundraising dinner in 2017. Last year, about S$170,000 was raised at a dinner which was attended by former Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong.
For this year, guests can make donations of S$500 or S$1000 towards the fundraiser, and in return will have their meals prepared and delivered to their homes from The Salted Plum restaurant located at Suntec City.
Besides that, each donor will also receive two bottles of wine, half a dozen cans of beer, and special glasses. The donors who contribute S$1000 will have an additional bottle of champagne added to their list of items.
Apart from the food, which will be delivered by CSTSF’s very own sports ambassadors like Kerstin Ong, Kok Kiat Xuan, UK Shyam, and May Ooi, the donors will be treated to performances by artistes Jack and Rai, Leandra Lane, and Iluminari.
Apart from the dinner, the CSTSF will also raise money through an online auction which will be conducted on the night itself as part of the proceedings.
“Our role is to help as many young Singaporean athletes as possible fulfil their dreams of becoming champions and be our national heroes and we are grateful for all the support.” said Mr Danapal, who is assisting with the coordination with the restaurant and the guest artistes.
“It will be a massive logistical undertaking to ensure that the food is delivered to all our donors during a two-hour window but we are determined to get out and start raising funds for our athletes,” he added.