|Extracted from Annual Report FY 2022/2023|

Celebrating 25 Years of Journeying With Our Community

I am honoured to serve as the Chairman of the Foundation of Rotary Clubs Singapore Family Service Centre (FRCS FSC) from 1 July 2022, and to helm the Centre that has just marked 25 years of service to the community in FY 2022/2023. Joining me in this new term are my esteemed Management Committee (MC) members comprising stalwarts from the previous term and a few new colleagues who bring with them fresh perspectives. Thanks to the strong foundation laid by our predecessors, my MC and I are committed to continue empowering our clients with the skills that can help them better navigate life’s challenges.

To commemorate the FSC’s 25th anniversary milestone, we were delighted to welcome our clients, partners, staff and community to our Open House and Community Day on 18 March 2023. It was a fitting celebration and the first large-scale in-person event we have organised since 2019; and the perfect though slightly delayed occasion to showcase our West Coast branch office which began operations in early 2020 when safe gathering rules were still in place.

Always Reaching Out to Achieve More

When we celebrate FRCS FSC’s 25th anniversary, we can be proud of our story of growth: we have grown in staff strength, in the steadily increasing number of clients we serve each year, as well as in the diversity and depth of programmes and services we now provide.

Amongst our team’s achievements, I shall highlight three milestones that attest to how far we have come since our inception in 1997. In 2021, FRCS was appointed by the SG Cares Office to operate an SG Cares Volunteer Centre (VC) @ Clementi based at FSC’s Clementi main office to complement our established FSC role. Since 2020, we began serving even more constituents from our new branch office in West Coast. And in 2019, our original premises in Clementi were spruced up, reconfiguring spaces that have been optimised to support a wider variety of purpose to serve the community.

The flexibility in our workspaces mirrors our FSC’s growth mindset — boldly embracing change and innovation to stay ahead of current needs. This played a key part in helping us pivot during the COVID-19 pandemic, when we converted the multiple challenges into opportunities; we did not allow the unknown or the uncertainty to hamper our service delivery. In fact, we continued to progress by staying more focused, more creative and more resilient. The pandemic has taught us that things which seem impossible can be achieved if we tried. Kudos to our team!

Our Supporters, Our Strength and Inspiration

Reflecting on our first 25 years, we are grateful for the unwavering support from many who have journeyed with us, chiefly the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF), the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY), the National Council of Social Service (NCSS), the National Addictions Management Service (NAMS), the SG Cares Office, our grassroots leaders and members as well as community partners. We must also give credit to our parent organisation, the FRCS, and the different Rotary Clubs around Singapore plus the Rotarians who have generously given their expertise and time to support various initiatives we have run for our clients over the years. We are humbled by our clients for showing courage and gifting us the privilege to walk alongside them so we can all emerge stronger together.

Beyond Our First 25 Years

Our FSC stands for growth and progress. This commitment drives us to hone our skillsets and improve our work practices. We also keep our ear to the ground to stay well-informed of our community’s evolving needs to provide targeted assistance.

During our MC’s Strategic Management Retreat in November 2022, we were joined by staff heading the various work teams who presented their recommendations. After a day of open sharing and meaningful discussions, we concluded on the three focus areas for the next three to five years. First, strengthen staff capabilities and competencies through more specialised training. Second, enable more learning journeys to facilitate and support staff training. Third, intensify our collaborations with specialised agencies and consultants, so we can tap on a wider professional network to help our clients holistically.

With this clear roadmap, we are moving ahead confidently as a key community pillar here in the Clementi and West Coast regions.

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank our former Chairman, Mr Yeo Chuen Eng, for his stewardship. In particular, for guiding the FSC through the pandemic to emerge safely and stronger. Thank you to our former Vice Chairman, Mr Li Guang Sheng, and other retiring MC colleagues whose tireless service and dedication helped drive the FSC’s success. We deeply appreciate our staff, whose passion for their work and professionalism in face of adversity make a positive impact beyond words. To our volunteers, your contributions bring much joy to our beneficiaries and strengthen the community spirit.

On behalf of the FSC, I would like to thank our partners from the government ministries and statutory agencies for their steadfast support in our first 25 years. Last but not least, thank you to FRCS and Rotary Clubs for your staunch support right from the beginning — we could not have come this far without you. We look forward to many good years of partnership with all our supporters.

Mr Khushroo Dastur
Chairman
FRCS Family Service Centre Management Committee