National Steps ChallengeTM Mobilises All 89 Constituencies Across Singapore To Raise Funds For President's Challenge

Singapore, 28 April 2018 – Rallying communities from all 89 constituencies across Singapore to clock steps for a good cause, the first National Steps Challenge^TM Community Challenge has raised a total of $143,000 for President’s Challenge 2018.  The charity movement was incorporated into the nation-wide pedometer-based physical activity initiative.

The Community Challenge, which started in November 2017 and officially ended in March this year, garnered 48,000 sign-ups and galvanised the Challenge participants into clocking more steps both for health and for a social cause over a span of four months. Every step that the Community Challenge participants took went towards increasing their constituency division’s average number of steps, which were converted to donations at the end of the Community Challenge.

Several constituencies achieved a daily average of around 10,000 steps over the challenge period. Amongst them were residents from the Toa Payoh East–Novena constituency division who clocked the highest overall average of 10,334 steps per day.

Heartened by the community spirit, President Halimah Yacob said: “I am encouraged that our organisations are committed to helping the less privileged and using creative ways to raise funds for the President’s Challenge. Health Promotion Board’s efforts to rally the population, through its National Steps Challenge™ programme, to contribute to charity while keeping active is a commendable move. The amount raised will go a long way in helping the less privileged amongst us.”

The amount raised for President’s Challenge 2018 will assist 59 organisations in the provision of rehabilitation services, healthcare, mental healthcare, eldercare, disability services as well as children, youth and family services for the less fortunate. Some of the beneficiaries include the Care Community Services Society, Silver Volunteer Fund and the Association for Persons with Special Needs (APSN).

Mr Zee Yoong Kang, Chief Executive Officer of HPB said: “The growing interest and strong support of Singaporeans in the National Steps Challenge™ has provided an opportunity for us to leverage the scale of the nation-wide programme for a good cause. The introduction of the Community Challenge component has enabled us to encourage Singaporeans across constituencies, to do their part for charity while keeping active together. It is encouraging that diverse groups, from residents to grassroots, social service organisations and religious organisations, have stepped up for the community and for their own health.”

Mr Zee presented the donation to President Halimah Yacob today at the National Steps Challenge^TM Season 3 Community Challenge 2017 Finale held at the Sentosa Palawan Beach. The event saw a huge turnout, with representatives of the beneficiaries and constituencies as well as the National Steps Challenge™ participants among those present.

The Finale was held in conjunction with one of the largest-scale thematic challenges for this season – a Sentosa Island-wide race featuring games and treasure hunt activities. HPB has run a total of seven thematic challenges such as walking trails and treasure hunts, in collaboration with other government agencies and commercial partners, to spur participants to keep active throughout the Challenge period.

Started in October 2017, National Steps Challenge^TM Season 3 has attracted about 690,000 sign-ups[1]. Besides the Community Challenge, this season also saw the second edition of the Corporate Challenge targeted at getting the working population to move more through peer encouragement and friendly competitions. National Steps Challenge^TM Season 3 will end on 30 April 2018.

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About the Health Promotion Board

The Health Promotion Board was established as a statutory board under the Ministry of Health, Singapore, in 2001 with the vision of building “A Nation of Healthy People”. The Health Promotion Board aims to empower the people of Singapore to attain optimal health, increase the quality and years of healthy life and prevent illness, disability and premature death. As the key agency overseeing national health promotion and disease prevention programmes, HPB spearheads health education, promotion and prevention programmes as well as creates a health-supportive environment in Singapore. It develops and organises relevant health promotion and disease prevention programmes, reaching out to the healthy, the at-risk and the unhealthy at all stages of life – children, youths, adults and older Singapore residents. Its health promotion programmes include nutrition, mental health, physical activity, smoking control and communicable disease education. HPB also promotes healthy ageing, integrated health screening, and chronic disease education and management.

More information can be found at www.hpb.gov.sg.

About President’s Challenge

Started in 2000, the President’s Challenge is an annual community outreach and fund-raising campaign for beneficiaries selected yearly by the President’s Office. The Challenge represents a coming together of people from all walks of life, under the President’s patronage, to help the less fortunate. It serves as a call to all Singaporeans to do their part to build a more caring and inclusive society by giving of their time, skills and enterprise.

Since 2012, the Challenge was expanded to go beyond fund-raising, by including volunteerism and social entrepreneurship. From 2018, the President’s Challenge will look into more customised and upstream support to help the most vulnerable change their circumstances through skills upgrading, capacity building and empowerment.

The operating costs of President’s Challenge are covered separately by a grant from Singapore Totalisator Board as a community initiative. 100% of donations raised under the President’s Challenge go to charities, causes and social service organisations supported by the President’s Challenge. 

More information on President’s Challenge can be found at http://www.pc.org.sg

[1] As at 1 April 2018

Media Release

For more information on the article above, refer to Media Release [PDF, 215.0 KB].