The Pinnacle Award

THE Pinnacle Award is the highest charity honour, acknowledging an organisation or individual’s unwavering support and commitment to the Community Chest.

Tote Board and Singapore Pools were saluted with this elite decoration on October 8 2009 at The Istana for the “long-standing partnership” with Singapore’s biggest social-services provider.

Since 1985, Tote Board and Singapore Pools have made valuable contributions to cover most of Community Chest’s fund-raising costs. For the record, in the past five years, Tote Board and Singapore Pools donated more than $80 million.

Mr Tan Soo Nan, Chief Executive of the Tote Board and Chief Executive Officer of Singapore Pools, expressed appreciation at the gilt-edged charity award.

“We are very honoured to receive the award in recognition of our long-standing partnership with the Community Chest,” he said.

“Our partnership stems from a commitment to support them in raising the much needed funds for the social service programmes under its care. Employees from the Board and Pools have also been part of this partnership through their contributions to the SHARE Programme.

“It is the support Singaporeans have given us through the years that has helped to attain our goals of channelling surpluses from legalised gaming operations to good cause funding.”

The Community Chest is the fund-raising division of the National Council of Social Services (NCSS), which raises more than $50 million every year for a variety of social-services projects from nurturing underprivileged children and disabled people, helping the elderly and assisting hapless families. Last year, 58 charities, which ran 147 social-services programmes, benefitted from donations.

For the record, Tote Board contributed $158 million over the past four years towards the Tote Board Social Service Fund. This fund supported 351 programmes run by 109 Voluntary Welfare Organisations (VWOs) with 390,500 service users.

The Community Chest said by virtue of this exclusive award, the Tote Board and Singapore Pools would be automatically conferred the Pinnacle Club (PC) membership.

This membership recognises those with the initiative and leadership in rendering outstanding service to the community and Community Chest through their monetary and/or time contribution.

The PC membership provides life-long association with Community Chest and also distinct recognition of the organisation’s good standing in the area of community service.