Issue No: 1/2010 - MINDS

Our Award-Winning Volunteer,
Mr Daniel Tan Tai Leng
Text by Desiree Lim
Photo by HSBC Singapore
Daniel Tan receiving his award from Mr S.R. Nathan,
President of Singapore (middle) on 25 August 2009. On the
far left is Mr Guy Harvey-Samuel, CEO of HSBC Singapore.
The HSBC Youth Excellence Award for Leadership
and Community Service 2009 went to our volunteer,
Mr Daniel Tan Tai Leng. Mr Tan has been volunteering
with MINDS since 1998 and is currently an EXCO
member.
MINDS congratulates Mr Tan, there are some
inspirational words from Mr Tan’s acceptance speech
at the award ceremony.
On the limits of being judgemental,
“How often have we struck someone off before giving
him or her a chance? Taking a step back from the
fast-paced and merit-focused environment we live in, I
choose instead to focus on living in a community called
humanity. This world is broadly diverse and judging will
only serve to exclude.”
On the unique rhythms of people with intellectual
disabilities,
13 mindspeak: the heartvoice of special people
“In taking the journeys in one’s life, some may need
more time than others while some may need a bit of
assistance for long stretches. Maybe we should embrace
these realities – and its beauty – of the beneficiaries’ lives
and help them to live with dignity. Perhaps we should
start worrying less about how to make them better
tomorrow than what they are today. Only by respecting
one’s own rhythm can one complete one’s life journey
meaningfully.”
On hoping from possibilities,
“I first heard the story about one beneficiary being
married and questioned whether he married out of his
free will or it was his parents’ wishes. I even wondered
if he understood the concept of marriage and whether
it would even last… Perhaps we should not let our
perceptions of what the beneficiaries can do limit what
they can really do. Maybe sometimes it is because we
tend to be overprotective but indeed the possibilities
can be infinite if only we allow them the space and
acceptance.”