Milestones and accolades

Milestones

The following is a snapshot of the significant milestones in our history.

Lions Befrienders has over 29 years of history in working with the community to provide friendship and care for seniors to cope with the demands of daily living, enabling them to age-in-place within the community for as long as possible and lead meaningful and enriching lives. Here is a snapshot of our significant developments over the years.

2024

  • Awarded the Charity Transparency Dedication Award at the Charity Transparency and Governance Awards 2024 
  • Awarded the COVID-19 Resilience Certificate to LB Senior Group Home @ Mei Ling 151
  • Awarded the COVID-19 Resilience Certificate to LB Senior Group Home @ Tampines 499C

2023

  • Signed memorandum of understanding (MOU) with seven partners at inaugural Integrated Care Learning Symposium
  • Soft launch of Gym Tonic at LB AAC @ Mei Ling 150
  • Launched pilot for AIDEN Autonomous Mobile Robot (AMR) to deliver meals to seniors 
  • LB AAC @ Tampines 434’s 10th Anniversary
  • Partnered AIC, Centre For Seniors and THKMC for Micro-Jobs scheme
  • Supported first-ever Healthier SG Roadshow in the presence of Prime Minister Mr Lee Hsien Loong
  • Launched six upgraded Senior Group Homes (SGH) in Tampines retrofitted with high-tech and senior-friendly features
  • Launched I Say No To Scam programme
  • IM-Healthy station made available in all 10 AACs, allowing for LB seniors to monitor their own health
  • Awarded Assisted Living pilot
  • Awarded Community of Care (COC) 2.0 and HPC Plus extended programmes
  • Cluster Support on-boards new Community Case Management Service (CCMS) model, in line with MOH and AIC’s direction
  • LB AAC @ Clementi 420A’s 10th Anniversary
  • LB AAC @ Ghim Moh 18’s 10th Anniversary
  • LB AAC @ Bendemeer 32’s 20th Anniversary

2022

  • Signed memorandum of understanding (MOU) with five BMAC companies – Abbott, AbbVie, MSD, Roche, and GSK for the Cognetivity’s CognICA technology
  • Signed memorandum of understanding (MOU) with NTU for health coaching programme
  • Signed memorandum of understanding (MOU) with NP for empowering seniors to share their knowledge, expertise and experience with others
  • Launched IM-OK device at Digital for Life Festival in the presence of President Halimah Yacob
  • Entered Singapore Books of Records for largest paper crane word formation with Becton Dickinson
  • Held inaugural LB Befriending Conference
  • Launched LB I-OK ecosystem that focuses on digital innovations & enhancements in screening & monitoring seniors’ health

2021

  • Signed memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Korean Women Association of Singapore (KOWAS)
  • Five Senior Activity Centres renamed as Active Ageing Centre under MOH new eldercare model
  • Launched Facial Analysis Correlation of Emotions programme with Temasek Foundation
  • Commenced Befriending Training Centre at Stirling Road
  • Officially opened Clementi SAC @ 344 
  • Launched inaugural LB van donated by Teck Wei Credit Pte Ltd 

2020

  • Lions Befrienders’ 25th Anniversary
  • Published Befriending Conversations Book
  • Launched LB Virtual Befriending @ SAC
  • Awarded 3-year pilot project, LB Care Connect @ Queenstown by AIC

2019

  • Raised an unprecedented amount of collection in LB Charity Golf history
  • Started operations at the third Senior Activity Centre in the Clementi/Bukit Timah Senior Cluster Network
  • Mei Ling SAC’s 20th Anniversary

2018

  • Started operations at the second Senior Activity Centre in the Clementi/Bukit Timah Senior Cluster Network
  • Collaborated with Changi General Hospital to roll out the CareLine24/7 tele-befriending service
  • Commenced the Community Nurse Post at Meiling and Tampines SACs
    Raised an unprecedented amount of collection and garnered the largest number of volunteers in LB Flag Day history

2017

  • Commenced the Home Personal Care service in the Clementi/Bukit Senior Cluster Network and the Tampines/Changi Senior Cluster Network
  • Officially opened the second Senior Activity Centre & SAC (Cluster Support) offices in the Tampines/Changi Senior Cluster Network
  • Inaugurated the Silver Bow Charity Dinner

2016

  • Inaugurated the Lions Charity Show
  • Started the second Senior Activity Centre at Tampines
  • Commenced the Senior Group Home at Mei Ling Street
  • Re-opened Ang Mo Kio Senior Activity Centre
  • Re-opened Bendemeer Senior Activity Centre
  • Launched the Giving Tree
  • Broke the Singapore records for the most number of people wearing the Silver Bow

2015

  • Commenced SAC (Cluster Support) operations & Senior Group Home in Tampines/Changi Senior Cluster Network
  • Launched the Silver Bow at International Day of the Older Persons
  • Commenced SAC (Cluster Support) operations in Clementi/Bukit Timah Senior Cluster Network

2014

  • Mei Ling SAC’s 15th Anniversary
  • Lions Befrienders’ 20th Anniversary

2013

  • Started SAC (Cluster Support) operations at Bendemeer
  • Officially opened Ghim Moh and Clementi SAC
  • Inaugurated the Befrienders’ Day
  • Officially opened Tampines SAC

2012

  • Co-organised the International Volunteer Day (IVD) with YMCA of Singapore and Thye Hua Kwan Moral Charities with support from NVPC (2012 being the first time IVD was organized by VWOs)

2010

  • Lions Befrienders’ 15th Anniversary

2008

  • Published the ‘Volunteering 101’ Manual for Befrienders

2007

  • Officially opened Bendemeer Neighbourhood Link (NL)
  • Inaugurated the Befriending Walk held at Bishan Park
  • Held the first Lions Befrienders Family Day for volunteers

2004

  • Opened & expanded Mei Ling SAC

1999

  • Opened Ang Mo Kio Service Centre
  • Became a district programme of Lions Clubs International District 308-A1

1995

  • Officially handed over the Befriending Service programme from the then Ministry of Community Development to the Lions Club of Singapore North, Serangoon Gardens and Stamford
  • Officially opened the Lions Befriender Service Association of Singapore North, Serangoon Gardens and Stamford
  • Held the first appreciation dinner for befrienders at Orchid Country Club

Accolades

Lions Befrienders could not have come this far without the support of the Lions Clubs of Singapore and our various partners, stakeholders, organisations and individuals! We will continually review our services to better serve our valued pioneers and work towards our vision of building a nation where every senior can be active, healthy and happy.

CHARITY TRANSPARENCY AWARDS 2023 & 2024

The Charity Transparency Award (CTA) aims to promote good transparency and governance in the charity sector by acknowledging the excellent work of charities, while inspiring others to emulate their best practices. The CTA was presented to us by the Charity Council on 21 November 2023 and 14 November 2024, recognising LB’s good disclosure practices that the Charity Transparency Framework (CTF) recommends.

CTA2024FTV1-1
LB Charity Transparency Awards 2023

PEOPLE’S ASSOCIATION COMMUNITY SPIRIT (PACS) AWARDS 2023

As a strategic partner who has worked closely with People’s Association, LB received the Excellence Award at the PACS Awards 2023, which is given to exemplary partners who have assisted in building social capital and contributed to the community. LB was one of the 24 community partners in the whole of Singapore to receive the Excellence Award.

EMPOWERING EMPLOYER AWARD 2019

This award was presented to us by Daughters of Tomorrow (DOT) on 19 May 2019 for being aligned with helping low-income women in Singapore. LB has hired several of DOT women on long-term visit passes and also applied for Work Permit for a couple of mothers who are foreigners with Singaporean children – to help these women gain a livelihood for themselves and their families. LB has also enabled all hires from DOT to gain confidence especially in their line of work of home personal care; women who were not confident of visiting homes alone are now able to manage cases by themselves and travel between clients’ homes. In addition, LB has provided great support through comprehensive onboarding for new hires and senior staff are readily available to provide assistance when necessary.

CHARITY TRANSPARENCY AWARDS 2016 & 2017

This award was presented to us by the Charity Council on 28 September 2016 and 15 November 2017. To encourage charities to be more transparent and to recognise charities with good disclosure practices, the Charity Transparency Awards was introduced in 2016. All charities that meet the qualifying standards in disclosure under the Charity Transparency Framework will receive the new Charity Transparency Awards. This is to emphasize that transparency and good disclosure practices are important pillars of good governance. Eligible charities will be assessed using the Charity Transparency Scorecard by an independent group of assessors. To be eligible for the award selection, the organisation must:

  • Be a registered charity and/or an Institution of a Public Character (IPC) which has been in operation in Singapore for at least three years;
  • Have submitted their annual reports, financial statements and GECs for the two immediate preceding financial years; and
  • Have gross annual receipts of not less than $50,000 in the immediate preceding financial year.

2ND ASEAN RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND POVERTY ERADICATION (RDPE) LEADERSHIP AWARDS 2015

We are a recipient of the 2nd ASEAN Rural Development and Poverty Eradication (RDPE) Leadership Awards. This is in view of the islandwide services that we have provided for seniors to age in place by integrating them with the community, enabling them to enjoy more meaningful and enriching lives.

The RDPE Awards is convened once every two years in conjunction with the biennial ASEAN Ministers on RDPE. It was held in conjunction with the 9th ASEAN Ministers Meeting on Rural Development and Poverty Eradication (AMRDPE) and related meetings on 14-17 Oct 2015. This meeting was held at Ministerial level.

NATIONAL COUNCIL OF SOCIAL SERVICE (NCSS) OUTSTANDING VOLUNTARY WELFARE ORGANISATION (INNOVATION) 2011

This inaugural award was presented to us at the National Council of Social Service Members Conference held in 2011. The award recognises our efforts in being innovative in our response to the main challenges in providing the befriending service which is the shortage of long term, committed volunteers.

We introduced two new initiatives:

  1. Mutual Befriending. It entails grouping a few seniors living within the same block or blocks in the nearby vicinity to look after one another.
  2. Neighbour Befriending: It entails engaging the immediate neighbours to befriend our vulnerable seniors especially those with mobility issues and are home bound.

The 2 initiatives not only helps us to resolve the need for more volunteers by complementing the weekly home visits, but also helps build self-esteem of the seniors, especially those who are in the mutual groups.

NATIONAL COUNCIL OF SOCIAL SERVICE (NCSS) OUTSTANDING VOLUNTARY WELFARE ORGANISATION (COLLABORATION) 2010

This award was presented to us at the National Council of Social Service Members Conference held in 2010. The award recognises our efforts to engage with our seniors continually through extensive collaborative work with many corporations, grassroots organisations, schools and fellow VWOs.

In FY 2009/2010, we coordinated a total of 2,362 sponsored social activities for our befriendees’ participation. We have moved beyond our core service of befriending seniors, to providing them with other opportunities for engagement such as outings, outdoor recreation activities, ration distributions, home improvement initiatives, etc.

NATIONAL VOLUNTEER & PHILANTHROPY CENTRE- (NVPC ) NON-PROFIT ORGANISATION AWARD FOR VOLUNTEER MANAGEMENT

This award was accorded to us by the National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre (NVPC) and it recognises our best practices in the management of volunteers. Amongst the best volunteer management practices NVPC identified, what we have adopted includes:

  1. Commitment to volunteer management in terms of the level of staff involvement. Lions Befrienders has as many as 18 staff, aided by a group of appointed volunteer leaders, to co-ordinate the work performed by volunteers.
  2. Established volunteer management policies, i.e. employment of a full-time Volunteer Co-ordinator, having a volunteer manual in place and the adoption of structured practices in recruitment, training and performance review methods
  3. Commitment towards the implementation of volunteer management practices. This includes a multi-channel approach towards volunteer recruitment, provision of relevant training and volunteer recognition methods.
  4. Established channels of communication for volunteers. This refers to the various platforms and tools open to volunteers for purposes of communicating with Lions Befrienders management and staff.