03
September
2016
|
18:25
Asia/Singapore

NUS Day of Service: 1,400 staff, students and alumni dedicate their Saturday to serving the community in Singapore and overseas

The National University of Singapore (NUS) launched its inaugural NUS Day of Service today with 1,400 staff, students and alumni volunteering their time for 21 community service projects that were carried out across various parts of Singapore, as well as in China, Bangladesh, India, Japan and New Zealand. The NUS community hopes to reach out to about 4,500 beneficiaries through this initiative.

An initiative of the NUS Alumni Advisory Board, the event reinforces NUS’ strong tradition of serving and contributing to the country and society. The various community activities are organised under four categories: environment, food, health and knowledge. From coastal clean-up, recycling campaigns, distribution of food and necessities, to health screening service for the underprivileged, museum tours and workshops, the NUS family came together to give back to the community through action and service.

NUS President Professor Tan Chorh Chuan said, “NUS traces its roots to a modest medical school founded in 1905 through the strong support of the local community. Because of this, beyond the pursuit of excellence and academic achievement, giving back to the community has been a central and integral part of our education philosophy.

The NUS Day of Service is an exciting initiative that was mooted by our alumni, as well as championed and supported by the entire NUS community. It is very heartening to have NUS staff, students and alumni - including alumni who are based overseas - coming together on this special day to serve the community. We hope that the beneficiaries had a memorable day, as much as we have enjoyed organising and participating in these activities.”

Mr Jeremy Ee (NUS Engineering Class of 2005), Chairman of the NUS Day of Service Organising Committee as well as Member of the NUS Alumni Advisory Board, added, “The objective of the NUS Day of Service is to bring together the NUS community of alumni, staff and students to give back to the community in a meaningful way. Today, we are delighted to see so many from the NUS community coming forward and giving off themselves through the various activities across the island, and making that little difference.”

Please refer to the Annex for more information on the activities organised under the NUS Day of Service.