SINGAPORE – Mr Malcolm Chen is 78 but has not slowed down. He continues to cycle in places such as Sarawak and Langkawi – and often gets children with autism to join in.

His journey began in 2015, when he founded non-profit organisation Ageless Bicyclists to teach children with autism from Grace Orchard School how to cycle and do simple bicycle repairs.

Mr Chen, who began cycling at the age of 67 and is certified as a sports coach, had hopes of helping these children lead healthy lifestyles and equipping them with skills that can help them secure jobs.

At the annual President’s Volunteerism and Philanthropy Awards (PVPA) on Tuesday, he was among individuals and organisations who were lauded for serving the community.

For the first time, two winners – including Mr Chen – were selected in the People of Good (Senior) category.

The other winner was Mr Mark Yuen, 68, who founded an organisation providing free haircuts to seniors, needy Singaporeans and migrant workers after he retired from wealth management.

President Tharman Shanmugaratnam was guest of honour at the awards ceremony, which was held at the Istana and organised by the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre (NVPC).

Mr Tharman urged the audience to go beyond the idea of giving and receiving, and accord beneficiaries dignity.

“No one wants to be just a receiver – at any age. They want to have the dignity of knowing that their life experiences are respected, and they themselves are being empowered, lifting themselves up, imparting something to others.”

He added: “My wife and I and others in the audience who have spent many years working with people in various vulnerable situations, getting to know them, getting to respect them, listening to them – we have become much fuller individuals; our lives are fuller.”

Mr Tharman also pointed to the “beautiful paradox” of giving, noting that studies have shown acts of kindness improve the health and happiness of givers. “We raise each other up,” he said.

Mr Chen said he has expanded his cycling lessons to stroke survivors since April 2022, buying adaptive tricycles with the help of donations. Such tricycles are designed to help those with disabilities to steer and pedal. “We want to provide them with love, to get them to come out from their homes, to the great outdoors,” he said.

Mr Chen was moved when a stroke survivor shared: “I have never used my stroke leg until now.” He said another stroke survivor regained the ability to ride a bicycle. “We want him to be an ambassador and say, ‘If I can do it, I’m sure if you try harder, there is a probability.’ And this gives them a hope, a purpose in life, a goal.

“Right now, the stroke survivors are just doing fun rides, but eventually we want them to ride 1km, 2km, 3km, and then go overseas with us.”

Mr Yuen, who founded Team MDI to give free haircuts to those in need, said such services provide vulnerable groups with a form of psychological and emotional support. Over multiple sessions spanning months or years, beneficiaries have come to trust the volunteer hairdressers and share their personal, family or health issues.

He recounted how a resident of a public rental flat he visited had not had a haircut in 13 years and had problems with his family, whom he had not seen for 15 years. But after Mr Yuen cut his hair, the man decided to visit his family and try to make peace.

Since it was founded in 2016, Team MDI has grown its pool of volunteers to more than 100. The team has given some 15,000 haircuts.

Another winner of the People of Good award was Lee Cai Wei, a Secondary 4 student of Nanyang Girls’ High School who founded a non-profit organisation providing free online tuition to underprivileged primary schoolchildren from neighbouring countries.

Said the 16-year-old: “I feel that I’m lucky to be able to receive a good education in Singapore and, thus, I hope to share my knowledge with others through hosting classes.”

Award recipients:

People of Good award:

Soo Jie Er, Janice

Lee Cai Wei

Malcolm Chen

Mark Yuen Yu Tai

Organisations of Good award:

Cognizant Technology Solutions Asia

The Social Kitchen

Infocomm Media Development Authority

TalentTrust

Leaders of Good award:

Yuvan Mohan

Yap Su Yin

City of Good award:

Sree Narayana Mission Singapore and Girl Guides Singapore