SEVENTH ANNUAL TEDDY BEAR & TOY DRIVE 2009

By Text  by Franca Ciambella, CAS Member and 1st VP, CAS
Photos by Janey Schueller, CAS Member and President, CAS
More photos from this event can be found on the CAS website's photo gallery.

This year’s Teddy Bear & Toy Drive was, once again, a resounding success.  The seventh annual event raised nearly $20,000 and countless toys and teddies for the Spastic Children’s Association of Singapore (SCAS).  The funds that were collected will be used to acquire some much needed early education multimedia learning programs and food vouchers for the needy families, as well as securing wheelchairs and diapers for the Association.

The fund-raising activities, which were run in conjunction with the Canadian International School (CIS), included a December 3rd cocktail reception at the official residence of the Canadian High Commission where guests were entertained by Christmas carols sung by the CIS Grade 2 choir.  Many thanks to the Canadian High Commissioner, His Excellency David Sevigny and to his wife, Mrs. Mary Broderick, for opening their beautiful home and for being such gracious hosts. Many thanks also to the sponsors and donors of the Drive, Specialist Dental Group, Pratt & Whitney and the Bank of Nova Scotia, as well as numerous individual donors.

The toys and teddy bears were collected from the High Commission and the Tanjong Katong and Toh Tuck campuses of the CIS before being distributed and bringing cheer to the children at SCAS.  Many thanks to Santa Fe Relocation Services for donating their time, staff and transportation services to collect the boxes and have them delivered to the SCAS.

Finally, a special thank you to our volunteers: Katie Robinson, Megan Graff, Ben Grundy, Celeste Krochak, Tom Anderson, Andrea Mills, Calico Clark, Marta Hoyles, Doug McCreath, Rosakind DeBrass, Guy Chartier and Isabel Motyka.

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Spastic Children’s Association of Singapore (SCAS)

The Spastic Children’s Association of Singapore (SCAS) was established in 1957 to provide early intervention, special education, rehabilitation services, day activity centre programmes, vocational training and gainful employment for children and adults with cerebral palsy in Singapore.  The vision of SCAS is to be a leading regional centre for persons with cerebral palsy, helping them to realize their full potential and to lead a life with respect. 

All funds raised from the 2009 CAS Teddy Bear & Toy Drive will benefit the Early Intervention Programme for Infants and Children (EIPIC).  EIPIC was established on 1 April 2005 and provides early therapy intervention for over a hundred children aged a few months to 6 years suffering from one or more disabilities, but who have the potential of attending Special Education School or the mainstream school environment.  The Canadian community in Singapore thanks Melissa Shepherdson at SCAS and the SCAS team for their leadership and guidance with the fundraising drive this year.

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