The Silent Foundation (“TSF”) – in aid of silent sufferers. Silent sufferers refer to animals, the environment and human beings who have been overlooked by society and tend to be voiceless. This is in line with the founder, Mr. Teng Ngiek Lian’s professional work as he practices value investing that focuses on the overlooked and unloved sectors.
Our team at Li Foundation (“LIF”) had the opportunity to invite Mr. Matthew Teng, TSF Director, over to our office for an afternoon cup of tea. As we chat our hearts out on philanthropy, Mr. Teng shared with us the three main focus of TSF grantmaking activities covering areas in:
TSF may originate its own programs and/or partner with other charitable organizations to undertake such activities.
One of such activities is none other than the renowned annual award presentation: Singapore Silent Heroes (“SSH”), which TSF has supported for the past 6 years. It is a ceremony organized by the Civilians Association (Singapore), with an aim to recognize ordinary, everyday Singaporeans and permanent residents for their extraordinary humanity and compassion towards people, causes, and missions. The nation-wide award is presented specifically to individuals who are working silently without recognition or compensation. These faceless champions of our society have demonstrated extraordinary dedication to improving the lives of their fellow human beings.
It was of great surprise that out of 44 Singapore silent heroes thus far, LIF had the honor to meet some of them from the Relay Majulah event in 2019, in an effort to raise funds for the President Challenge. Mdm. Oh Siew May – SSH 2017, was the first runner to kick off the relay and Mr. Tan Kok Sing (known as ‘Chen Bo’ to many) – SSH 2019, was the inspirational pillar behind one of the runners, who have joined the Tiong Bahru Garden Joggers Club that Chen Bo founded in 1977 to help teenagers kick bad habits and pick up an active lifestyle through running.
More often than not, heroes are closer to us than we think. Both TSF and LIF believe that such extraordinary stories of everyday heroes can provide many of us with a source of inspiration and encouragement, especially during these challenging times. Sharing the same thought, we hope to embark on a journey towards exploring stories beyond Singapore, continuously recognizing and acknowledging these heroes:
The book showcases how the participants challenged their limits and conquered the World Marathon Challenge and North Pole Marathon to inspire people to challenge their own limits and pursue their dreams boldly.
The book tells the stories behind the event which saw the largest number of people in history running 1045km round Taiwan in 19 days.
