An Enchanting Evening - Charity Dinner In support of 1823 Fund

The RPA Charity Dinner in support of 
RI’s 1823 Fund was successfully held in the RI School Hall on 15 August 2009.  The organising committee comprising members of the RPA Management Committee and parent volunteers, spent 3 months organising the event.  More than 40 corporate and individual tables were taken up at $2,000 and $1,000 each respectively.  Art and jewellery pieces were donated by the school as well as friends of Rafflesians’ parents for the silent auction.  Parents who could not turn up for the dinner event, gave outright cash donations.  Through the strong support of parents of Rafflesians, the event raised at least $70,000 for the fund.  This is more than double the initial target of $30,000 set by the Organising Committee.

The Guest-of-Honour for the gala event was Mr Wong Siew Hoong.  Currently the Director of Schools with MOE, Mr Wong is an Old Boy (1972-1977) of Raffles Institution and Headmaster of RI from 1999 to 2004.  RPA Chairman, Mr Chua Wah Ann, and his Executive Committee, welcomed Mr & Mrs Wong upon their arrival at RI at 6.30 pm, amidst salutations and music rendered by the Bagpipers of RI Boys Brigade.

After the guests were seated, the RPA Chairman, Mr Chua, gave his welcome address.  He emphasized the importance of RPA’s close partnership with the school.  The organisation of RPA Charity Dinner was a prompt response to such a cause.

Following that, Mrs Lim Lai Cheng, Principal of RI, was invited to give the opening address.  In her speech, Mrs Lim drew excerpts from an article written by Prof Koo Tsai Kee, a Rafflesian & Minister of State for Defence.  In the Straits Times, Prof Koo wrote about his admiration for his “secret” hero : an ex-neighbour and senior in RI who forewent tertiary education due to financial constraints, even though “he could easily have done so”.  Mrs Lim drove home the message that RI is a place where students are given equal opportunities to excel in all areas of education; no one student deserves to be sidelined because they are poor, under-privileged and/or who require financial assistance.  For this cause, the 1823 Fund was initiated to help these students to “augment their education”.

A sumptuous 10-course dinner followed.  Guests were entertained by a line-up of performances by the RI JC Chorale, the Quartet, the Ex-Dee Band, the RI JC Dancers, and the R-Project Runway (a fashion show of sorts with students taking to the cat-walk in outfits creatively designed with old and used clothes.)  The silent auction sold paintings, jewellery, and art pieces donated by sponsors, well-wishers and students.

RPA would like to thank everyone who participated and contributed to the cause.  Especially noteworthy is the generous support of all the well-wishers and parent volunteers.  RPA would also like to express their appreciation to Mrs Lim and all her staff, teachers and students for the stellar performances staged during the dinner event.  A big “Thank You” goes to the RI staff and students, prefect ushers, photographers and videographers who helped with the requirements of logistics.

RPA Chraity Dinner Organising Committee

Three cheers to the well-wishers, Raffles Institution, and Raffles Parents Association!

Auspicium Melioris Aevi


report written by:
Ng Chai Seng, Julie Chew, Serene Khoo

RPA Charity Dinner In Support of 1823 Fund

Dear Parents,

Recently, we were delighted to learn that the school is embarking on a special new initiative-The 1823 Fund. The 1823 Fund will fulfil the important purpose of providing financial assistance to needy RI students. It will also contribute seed funding for projects pioneered by the Rafflesian community that are likely to have a positive social impact.

We are excited about this project, as it helps to plug certain gaps that have emerged over the years, partly because of the rising cost of living and the school's comprehensive schedule of activities. Financially-needy RI students sometimes hesitate before signing up for a school expedition or programme. As parents, we can appreciate how heavy both a child's and a parent's burden can sometimes be in such a situation, and we want to do what we can to ease this load. We believe that the 1823 Fund is timely, and will greatly help in easing such worries.

We are thus planning to support this forward-looking initiative by putting together a Charity Dinner. All proceeds from this dinner will go toward capitalizing the 1823 Fund.

Event : RPA Charity Dinner
Date : 15 August 2009 (Sat)
Time : 6.30pm to 10.30pm
Venue: Albert Hong Hall, RI (Secondary) School Hall


Dinner tables are available at:
1) Individuals: $1000.00 per table or $100.00 per seat
2) Corporate: $2,000.00 per table
3) Outright cash donations are also welcome


Click here for the Order/Donation Form and instructions


The RPA hopes to raise $30,000 through this dinner event. We hope to garner your support and participation through the purchase of dinner tables and/or cash contribution towards this cause. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to you for your kind support and look forward to your generous response.

Yours Sincerely,

Mr Chua Wah Ann
Chairman
Raffles Parents' Associati

PROGRAMME FOR RPA CHARITY DINNER

IN SUPPORT OF 1823 FUND

SATURDAY, 15 AUG 2009

1800 hrs - Arrival of guests and Registration

Viewing of Auction Items – Silent Bids

1845 hrs - Arrival of Guest-of-Honour, Mr Wong Siew Hoong, Director of Schools, MOE

1855 hrs - Welcome to GOH and VIPS

1900 hrs - Dinner Commences - Welcome by MC

1910 hrs - Welcome address by Mr Chua Wah Ann, Chairman, RPA

1920 hrs - Opening Address by Mrs Lim Lai Cheng, Principal, RI

1945 hrs - Dinner is served….bon-a-petite

- Item 1 - String Quartet

2000 hrs - Item 2 - The Raffles Chorale

2015 hrs to 2035hrs - Item 3 - Presenting Ex Dee (Band)

2045 hrs - Presentation on Auction Items

2100 hrs - Item 4 - The S Factor by Raffles Dance Club

Close of Auction Silent Bids

2120 hrs - Item 5 - R Project (Fashion Show)

2145 hrs - Announcement of Auction results and presentation to winners

2200 hrs - Acknowledgements

Introduction to the 1823 Fund

Vision

The 1823 is a Foundation set by by Raffles Institution with a view to achieving the following objectives:

a) Reconnect and bond by drawing in alumni across different generations to the school and strengthening the sense of belonging to and ownership of the school.

b) Enhance RI’s standing by enabling alumni members to be role models for current students, on serving others and promoting meritocracy.

c) Contribute to society by creating opportunities for members of the Rafflesian community to make meaningful contributions to society.

Focus Areas

The Foundation has two focus areas :-

1) Provide need-based scholarships, bursaries and grants for deserving Rafflesian students who need financial assistance, to enable them to get the most out of an independent school education.

Currently, the EESIS scholarship covers only $200 out of $300 per month of school fees. Financial assistance provided for needy students have income limits which are kept fairly stringent. It is envisaged that there are deserving students who could still benefit from additional help should we launch a scholarship programme to attract them to RI. Apart from school fees and supplementary fees, CCAs and enrichment activities do exert a financial constraint on some families. A forward and pro-active positioning of the Foundation will also send a clear message to all potential primary school students who come from humble family backgrounds that coming to independent RI will not disadvantage them or place undue financial burden on their parents.

2) Contribute seed funding for projects that are pioneering efforts initiated by existing students and alumni members. These will be projects that provide leadership opportunities for young Rafflesians and which have the potential of making a social impact.

The Foundation can also be a ‘platform’ to engage the broader community with the Raffles Schools. We can get corporate sponsors, international organizations and global leaders, for instance, to engage with the Raffles Schools through this channel.

Source : RI Management