The Disabled People’s Association (DPA) marked the International Day of People with Disabilities (IDPD) on the 27th of November with two major events; a star-studded football event in the afternoon and a post-match victory dinner later in the evening.
The afternoon East versus West fundraising football game pits local celebrities and football players, who make up the East team, against the West team which consists of ESPN presenters and another famous foreign football players in a friendly but competitive match.
Some of the stars on the teams include Paul Parker, John Wilkinson, Edmund Tay and Kang Jiaxi, with the match being hosted by veteran deejay, Daniel Ong.
Spectators at the Jalan Besar Stadium were constantly entertained during the hour-long match especially during half-time when the players gave away auto-graphed mini soccer balls to the crowd and four lucky spectators got to participate in a penalty shoot-out with great prizes.
There was also a carnival organized by volunteers from Morgan Stanley running con-currently with the football match for the young at heart. Live performances from Verve production and artists from Movement for the intellectually Disabled of Singapore (MINDS) kept the energy high throughout the afternoon.
The match ended 2-1 in favor of the West side. But we all know that the true winners of the day are the disabled people who continue to triumph over everyday obstacles to achieve their dreams.
The celebratory dinner held later that evening saw 350 VIP guests attending it at La Villa Italian Grill & Bar Singapore. The evening, hosted by TV personality Anita Kapoor, saw a variety of performances by disabled persons like Lily Goh, a gifted deaf percussionist, and Fusion Dance Ensemble by Down Syndrome Association. Singapore best known comedian and drag queen, Kumar, was also present to support our cause with his provocative jokes.
There was also a live and silent auction to raise funds to allow DPA to continue our advocacy work. One of the more meaning items on auction was a watercolour painting by mouth artist Rajinder Singh that was sold for $1,000.
At the end of the day, we managed to raise a total of $113,000 from outright donations from individuals and corporations, sales of the afternoon football match and proceeds from the two auctions. This amount will go directly into supporting DPA continued role as a voice for the disabled in Singapore.
We would like to thank all our sponsors, volunteers and supporters for making this event such a memorable success.
