Christmas is coming; but have you been good this year?

If not, then you can still make a last-ditch effort to be put on Santa’s good child list.

Donations Made Easier 

As part of the Tap for Hope 2022 project by SMRT Corporation, donation stands were erected at eight MRT stations and two bus interchanges from now until the end of the year (31 Dec).

This initiative, in collaboration with the National Council of Social Service and EZ-Link, was set up in order to help low-income families, who are also the focus of this year’s President’s Challenge. This demographic was chosen because they were the most vulnerable to the detrimental effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

By making use of public transportation infrastructure, the team hopes that this can provide an easy alternative for daily commuters to donate to a worthy cause.

The funds raised will be directed towards supporting the beneficiaries of 82 organizations, including The Salvation Army, Yellow Ribbon Fund, etc.

To get on Santa’s list, you can simply tap your EZ-link card, token or wearable. Each donation tap is set at $2. Donations can still be made for those without access to the ez-link feature by scanning a QR code located at the donation stands.

Unless you’re really broke (can’t even give away $2?), you can’t be crying if you didn’t receive an iPhone 14 for Christmas.

The eight MRT stations are Bishan, Bugis, City Hall, Harbourfront, Jurong East, Paya Lebar, Serangoon, and Woodlands; all of these areas are chosen for their heavy commuter traffic.

The bus interchanges are Choa Chu Kang and Woodlands Integrated Transport Hub.

Previous Success

The previous Tap For Hope fundraising event ran from January 15 to February 28 this year. Similar to this time round, donations were made by scanning QR codes put up at three MRT interchanges. The entire duration of the campaign brought in more than $40,000.

One of the beneficiaries in the previous round included the social service agency Asian Women’s Welfare Association (AWWA). With the funds received, the agency was able to construct a multi-sensory space for students with special needs.

The multi-sensory space allowed students to interact with a technological simulation of diverse real-world scenarios while remaining secure within the school.

More on the President’s Challenge

In case you didn’t know, the President’s Challenge has a charity show titled President’s Star Charity. The one-day program is Mediacorp’s flagship fundraiser under the President’s Challenge.

This year’s event had the theme “Small Actions. Big Changes”, which aims to emphasize the idea that every individual’s action, no matter how small, may help people in need.

Performance for this year’s broadcast boasts a glittering lineup of renowned performances from across the world, including Eric Chou and Aina Abdul, hosted by Steven Chia and Kym Ng.

If the Taiwanese legend Eric Chou can make the effort to be a part of our President’s Challenge, you can definitely donate just $2.

Just don’t do it to humblebrag, like this blue cat:

Featured Image: Lianhe Zaobao