A total of 121 awards were presented to 140 award recipients at the refreshed Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) Volunteer and Partner Awards (MVPA) on July 25, which saw four new award categories this year.
The event also saw the launch of the Impact Scorecard, which provides a yearly snapshot of the volunteers’ contributions. The contributions of the MSFcare network, comprising over 3,000 active volunteers, last year reached more than 15,000 beneficiaries and secured $11 million in sponsorships.
Minister for Social and Family Development Mr Masagos Zulkifli observed how the volunteering landscape has evolved, with individuals shifting from episodic to sustained volunteerism, as well as moving towards skills-based volunteering.
This shift was evident in the three volunteers tabla! spoke to at the awards ceremony.
Ms Rachpal Kaur, 56, is a freelance organisational development consultant who specialises in workplace behaviours and has been an active volunteer with MSF for 31 years. This year, she received the Friends of MSF Award.
She applies her behavioural psychology skills as a volunteer probation officer, supervising youth probationers and befriending at-risk youth. With a “cool aunt you can talk to” vibe, she connects with emotionally guarded youths by demonstrating her willingness to “get dirty” and do the physical work with them.
Ms Rachpal recalled an episode when some of the boys volunteered to dig up artefacts discovered near the Asian Civilisations Museum. “I put on my Phua Chu Kang yellow boots and started digging alongside them,” she said.
She also helps shift their perspective when the youth don’t see the value in their work. In telling the boys that builders and diggers in Australia earn well, it motivated the group to complete their tasks properly and learn that each skill has its own merits, she noted.
Mr Gregory Vijayendran, 57, is a partner and senior counsel at Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP. He has served on the Tribunal for the Maintenance of Parents for the past 10 years and was President of the Tribunal for three years from June 2022 to June 2025.
He joined out of curiosity and compassion to see what can be done from the perspective of the law as well as social services to try and help these vulnerable and distressed families.
“The very fact that a parent has to file an application to a tribunal in a judicial proceeding against their son or daughter means that they could not resolve it through any other way,” Mr Gregory explained.
He received the Outstanding Volunteer Award for applying his judicial temperament during monthly tribunal hearings, where he maintained a fine balance between procedural and substantive justice, especially in cases involving sensitive subject matter.
In one case, the tribunal dismissed a mother’s application in the courtroom after hearing the daughter’s painful account of neglect and abandonment.
“I remembered it was one of the high points for me because the daughter, who had ‘won’, went over to the mother, put her arm around her, and they reconciled,” Mr Gregory said.
“It isn’t just about making an order, but it’s to see this level of healing and hopefully, resilience in these types of families. These are the moments we live for,” he added.
Mdm Anitha Sivadasan, 63, and her husband, Mr Sivachandran Palaniasmy, 65, received the Long Service Award for volunteering for more than 20 years. The couple were approved as foster parents in June 2003 and have since fostered 28 children, including two boys with special needs currently in their care.
In interviews, one can witness first-hand the couple’s playful banter with each other as their jovial spirit permeates the room. They still keep in touch with all of their children who address them as “Mummy” and “Acha”, which means father in Malayalam.
It’s “bitter and sweet” when a child leaves their care, they said. Mdm Anitha recalled a time when a child clung so tightly to Mr Sivachandran’s leg at the MSF office that he broke down in tears.
“At the same time, we’re happy knowing the child will have a better future as MSF does a great job screening the families,” Mr Sivachandran said.
When asked if finance was a concern, Mdm Anitha replied: “If you do it with money in mind, nothing will be good. If you do it with an open heart, everything will be good.”