I have just completed a meeting wrapping up actions for our inaugural DAS Charity Golf and Dinner held on 23 May at the Tanah Merah Country Club and could not help but reflect on how successful our fundraising event has been. Not only did we raise over $371,000 for children with dyslexia from lower-income families to access much need DAS programmes, but we also had the opportunity to get to know Mr Ong Ye Kung, Minister of Education.
I am also pleased that the media covered our event so well. For example :
http://supreme-parents.com/article.php?p=9l67W4VgHn
But most importantly, the event once again demonstrated the wonderful “can do” spirit we have at DAS! This was the very first time our colleagues Surjati, Deborah and Khatijah had organised a Charity Golf Event! Although there were initial concerns, the team nonetheless threw themselves into the thick of things and with guidance from our Exco members and staunch friend of the DAS, the most generous Mr Kevin Kwee, first-timers Surjati, Deborah, Khatijah and many others pulled off an outstanding job!
And this “can do” spirit is seen in almost every aspect of our work as DAS staff pioneer programmes and services for children and people with dyslexia and related SpLD’s. Be it the increasingly comprehensive Main Literacy Programme, the important emotionally sound early intervention work of the Preschool Programme, the much needed support from the Maths programme, in a Singapore where being good at problem sums is critical, the unique support the Chinese programme provides for children in multilingual Singapore, DAS Psychologists expanding their assessment scope beyond dyslexia, and much more that DAS is doing, DAS staff are continuingly going where they have not tread before, and not many from outside of DAS have either.
It is this “can do” and pioneering spirit that gives me the greatest confidence for DAS going forward!
Lee Siang is the Chief Executive Officer of the Dyslexia Association of Singapore. He regularly notes down his thoughts on the DAS Blog.
