Orchard Road Christmas Light-Up Shines Bright for Social Good and Disability Inclusion

The festive season along Orchard Road kicked off with a meaningful cause as the Christmas on a Great Street Community Chest Light-up Ceremony rallied corporate and community partners to champion support for vulnerable groups, particularly persons with disabilities.

Co-organised by the Orchard Road Business Association (ORBA), the annual ceremony was officiated by President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Mr Goh Pei Ming, Minister of State for Social and Family Development and for Home Affairs.

Celebrating Ability Through the Arts

This year’s light-up put a spotlight on talent and inclusion, featuring a vibrant joint percussion performance by beneficiaries from St. Andrew’s Autism Centre and TOUCH Centre for Independent Living. The performance showcased the creativity and abilities of persons with disabilities, reflecting the event’s strong message of empowerment.

Visitors also enjoyed festive booths by social service agencies and social enterprises, including MINDS, offering handcrafted festive products made by social service users, adding purpose to holiday gifting while supporting social good.

Community Chest Expands Support for Persons with Disabilities

With findings from the NCSS Disability and Inclusion Panel Study highlighting that employment opportunities, sports participation and stronger social connections are key to improving quality of life for persons with disabilities, Community Chest continues to drive targeted efforts across these areas.

In FY2024, Community Chest channelled approximately $12 million to programmes supporting children and adults with disabilities. These funds help provide:

• Quality education at 25 Special Education (SPED) schools, supporting over 2,800 students with special needs
• Employment and job coaching services such as those by the Autism Resource Centre (Singapore)’s Employability and Employment Centre
• Social integration programmes to foster independence, well-being and community inclusion