BCS Annual Report 2023

CHAIRMAN’S

MESSAGE

I feel the capacity to CARE is the thing which gives life its deepest significance.

- Pablo Casals -

2022 was the year Singapore put the pandemic behind her and move forward amidst multiple turbulent global events. Likewise, for Bethesda Care Services, it was a time where we needed to press on in continuing to provide care for the community.

In this post-pandemic season, our focus is 3-fold:

Innovate and improve our core services to maintain relevance and effectiveness
Rebuild and strengthen the vulnerable as they come out from the pandemic
Seek out collaborations with new partners who can value-add to our care for the community

INNOVATE AND IMPROVE OUR CORE SERVICES

In light of the growing concerns surrounding the mental health and emotional well-being of youths in Singapore, BCS formed a new youth department dedicated to reaching out to youths from all communities in the East. The department runs a youth drop-in centre and works with schools, student groups as well as various partners such as Sports SG, Singapore Association of Mental Health (SAMH) and residential homes to conduct programs and events for the youths.

Another significant change for BCS was the onboarding of MET 2.0, a new model of operation for our Medical Escort and Transport (MET) service under our Elderly department. This new framework was provided by Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) to upgrade Singapore’s Community Care sector and keep up with rising operation costs. To help ease seniors into the new program, BCS provided subsidies with our own charity dollar to help seniors who struggle with the new pricing.

REBUILD AND STRENGTHEN THE VULNERABLE

With the aim of nurturing families and strengthening communities, this year’s Family Connect events saw many rental block families participating in our events. Through our events, neighbours got to connect with and understand one another. Our social workers in turn gained a deeper understanding of the needs of these families in order to continue to tailor targeted programs for them.

3 new weekly Active Ageing activities were introduced this year, targeting seniors of differing background and movement capacity. Our new seated Resistance Band Workout, for example, engages seniors with mobility issues. FunDance on the other hand is particularly beneficial for silver marriages. Lastly, Ding Ding! promotes mental wellness through mind stimulating games tailored for the elderly. These regular activities serve as a platform for seniors to befriend and support one another.

NEW PARTNERSHIPS & COLLABORATIONS

It was a fruitful year filled with new partnerships. Our ITE youths at excITE benefitted greatly from the new corporate programs with Hapag Llyod, Character Leadership Academy (CLA), and Adam Khoo Learning Technologies Group (AKLTG). We were grateful to also receive valuable assistance from several corporate volunteers for our Meals-on-Wheels services. Some of these companies also sponsored the meals that they helped deliver to our seniors.

2022 was also a year in which we renewed our commitment, based on our new core values, to CARE for our seniors, community families, children and youth. As you look through the rest of this report, we welcome you to also browse through BCS CAREs- heartwarming personal stories of lives been touched and transformed.

Care

Care is about showing love and consideration to everyone, demonstrating patience, kindness and gentleness in speech and action towards one another. It is exemplified in a spirit of unity and help that crosses department lines. Its about touching the lives in the community with a love that goes the extra mile beyond just quality service.

Authencity

We want to develop sincere relationships and a culture of mentoring and speaking life into one another. Whilst showing care, we want to build a safe, nurturing working environment where we can gently correct in love where there are areas of improvement and above all, integrity and transparency in our conduct and processes.

Restorative

We want to comfort and heal the broken-hearted, bring freedom to those held captive in their conditions and life situations -To bring about a restoration of joy, hope and purpose to experience the true beauty and meaning of the abundant life.

Empower

“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime”. We want to empower those struggling in the community with sustainable solutions and resilience to overcome their challenges and thrive in life. We want our staff and volunteers to continually develop their competencies and a creative growth mindset to adapt to a dynamic everchanging social service landscape.

Elderly Services

Caring for the needs of the frail and aged

BCS @

COLLEGE
EAST

Build. Connect. Serve.

Resilient habits and healthy values for ITE Youths

Family Services

Empowering families and individuals in adversity to overcomelife’s challenge

Sunshine Club

A fun and safe haven where children can explore, learn, develop good character and form lasting relationships

YouthSpace

SPACE where youths belong and realise their true potential

Families

528

and individuals assisted through Family Services

185 families and individuals assisted through Casework and Counselling

227 Bursary Award recipients

42 students engaged through Workshops

74 participants at Family Connect events

$183,848.87 worth of Assistance Disbursed

$83,600 Bursary Awards

$137,775.79 MILK Scholarship program

$25,054.91 Assistance to Needy

$5,536.50 Food Rations program

$12,481.61 AIWFC 2022

$3,000 Roxy Fund

ITE Youths

1005

reached through activities, programs, and workshops at excITE @ College East

147 students assisted through MILK Scholarship

54 students engaged through Resilience Workshop

601 students engaged through daily interactions, small group mentoring, interest groups & talks

153 students engaged through collaborative programs with CCA groups

143 students engaged through Corporate Engagement & Partnership programs and events

*some students attended multiple programs

Seniors

954

served by our Elderly Services

249 seniors on Meals-on-Wheels (MOW)

249 seniors on Medical Escort and Transport (MET)

550 seniors engaged through Active Ageing Program

*(94 seniors on both MOW and MET)

$31,822.85.85 worth of subsidies given out to help ease seniors into MET 2.0 new framework

Youths

662

engaged through YouthSpace events and programs

403 youths engaged through regular programs

222 youths engaged through Eastside Sessions

37 youths engaged through mentoring programs

Children

108

enrolled in Sunshine Club Student Care Centre

3 students with special needs

16 students on MSF Comcare's Student CareFee Assistance (SCFA)

Download Full Annual Report Download Financial Report

We welcome individuals and corporate partners in Singapore to join us in reaching out and touching lives in the Tampines-Bedok community. Support our works or join us as a volunteer. Impact lives and bring joy to our beneficiaries and their families.

To find out more about how your company can participate in our Corporate Social Responsibilty (CSR) projects for children, youths, the elderly or families in need, email us at [email protected]