善济医社义务执行主席卓顺发太平绅士
《善德之路让爱传递不息》

卓顺发是享誉国际的新加坡慈善家，具有120年历史善济医社的全职义务执行主席。他秉持“感恩、承担、分享”的价值观，多年来行善，提供免费传统中医诊断，以及低收费的治疗服务而荣获“总统志愿服务及慈善事业奖”。2019年底，福布斯亚洲的“亚洲慈善英雄榜”（Heroes of Philanthropy）卓順发与阿里巴巴集团创办人马云并列入榜。

卓顺发（Toh Soon Huat）从一个企业家走上慈善之路，和两个人有关：一个是母亲，她以助人为快乐之本的精神影响着孩子，让他学会在自己困难的时候也能尽心尽力帮助他人，另一个就是为办学献身一切的陈嘉庚。

有机会就要感恩、回馈
中学学校假期时，13岁的卓顺发已在二舅的农场拾鸡蛋‘半夜赶鸭子进笼子，拿到巴刹去卖。那时打工不算工钱，全靠二舅给红包。他把在农场打工的钱，省下80元买了台脚车，这样他可以骑脚车去看外婆，顺便给她10元红包，外婆会很开心，和外婆聊天，一聊就是几个小时。

这段穷苦的经历给卓顺发的童年留下了难以磨灭的记忆，他说：“一个人如果没有穷过，不懂穷的滋味是什么，可是整个穷的过程中让我学到领悟到很多，学到感恩、付出与承担。其实穷也不是一件很辛苦的事情，只是一个经历，一个生命的过程，以及一个生命的承受吧，因为有机会来到这个世界，就是要感恩，就是要回馈，很多人会去埋怨。家里穷的时候那种痛苦的日子，其实用正能量来思考，这只是一个严峻的过程让提升自己、改变自己，准备去面对未来、人生。”

将自己一手建立起的上市公司卖掉，卓顺发是想进修，提升自己，为自己的人生再做个规划。但后来冷静下来想想，三次跌倒并不是永远的失败，它是一个提升人生理念的经历与过程。每个人都会在不同年龄阶段负担着各种责任，责任是一种人与生俱来的使命，它伴随着每一个生命的始终。我们要对自己的人生负责任，无论好坏，承担全部的结果与发生。”

2008年中国四川汶川发生大地震后,他和几位好友在新加坡发起《让爱川流不息》电视赈灾筹款活动,筹得1000万新元的善款支援灾区。这笔善款帮助灾区筹建七所中新友谊小学及一座桥。每年让上万名新生在这些学校获得求学、获取知识的机会,也了解慈善与奉献,感恩回馈,加强中新友谊的长存。

2008年，百年历史的慈善医社，由于缺少义务专业人员管理，已到了濒临关闭的边缘。时任善济医社董事张锦泉“三顾茅庐”说服了卓顺发接手，他也承诺不领取分毫工资力挽狂澜。在担任医社主席之初，它正处于瓶颈期，善款难筹，经营几乎无以为继。多年来，卓顺发凭借个人的人格魅力与号召力，筹集大量善款，将善济带出困境并使善济如日方升般地发展起来。

为了善济的发展,为了新加坡慈善事业有一个更加美好的未来,卓顺发还结合善济百年慈善精神和自己的人生所得,提岀了善济文化价值观:宽容、大爱、慈悲、感恩和祝福。配合国家建设、创造和谐社会,善济医社积极推动“有国才有家,家和万事兴”“善与国同在,济与民同心”的宏观信念。发扬华族互助优良传统,不分种族和宗教,为社会大众提供免费的中医问诊及低收费的治疗;鼎力支持福利事业,积极参加各社区、团体、联络所等的慈善活动，回馈社会。

其实“宽容、慈悲、大爱”是一种修身养性，一种人生的理念与哲理，一种生命的感恩与光明，可以解决很多问题，包括身心的健康，社会的和谐，人与人之间的冲突与无明。

善济医社 社会企业 社会经营 服务社会
卓顺发将继续与志同道合的团队,秉持着先贤们的宏愿,大爱同理,有计划地一步一步去实现为民服务的宏愿，服务社会，让更多社会人士受惠，把慈善当作自己全部的责任与事业,广结光明的善缘。

同时,希望慈善机构能互相交流，互相扶持，共襄善举，共享资源。在大爱与感恩的氛里，大家共同向慈善公益迈进，让新加坡的慈善公益事业茁壮发展，继续造福社会上的势群体，带给社会大众的福祉可以代代相续，传承不断!

他常说：“如果你是大海，不在乎那条船，如果你是小湖，容不下那个舟，希望社会上有很多很多的大海，照顾弱势群体，造福社会。最后发挥你的智慧，用不同的角度看世界，品尝你的人生，你会发觉到生命无限。”

顺慈悲愿、发善济心。希望让更多众生沐浴阳光般的温暖,感受精神的滋养。

Mr Toh Soon Huat JP
Volunteer Executive Chairman of Sian Chay Medical Institution
“The Path of Virtue Keeps Love Flowing”

Toh Soon Huat is an internationally renowned Singaporean philanthropist and a full-time voluntary executive chairman of Sian Chay Medical Institution, a Social Service Agency with 120 years of history. He upholds the core values of “Forgiveness, universal love, compassion, gratitude and blessing” servicing the community by providing free Traditional Chinese Medicine consultation, low cost medicine and treatment. He was awarded Singapore’s “President’s Volunteerism and Philanthropy Award (PVPA)”, in recognition of his achievements and contributions to Singapore’s philanthropy. He was named as honoree of Forbes Asia’s 2019 Heroes of Philanthropy, in the same list as Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba Group.

Toh Soon Huat embarked on the path of philanthropy from an entrepreneur, is related to two people: one is his mother, who influences him since childhood with the spirit of helping others is the foundation of happiness, even when he is in difficulty, and the other is Tan Kah Kee, who dedicated all his life to running the school.

Be grateful and give back whenever you have the opportunity.
When Mr Toh was 13 and studying in secondary school, he started to help his second uncle by picking up chicken eggs in his farm during the school holidays. He hurried ducks into cages past midnight and sold chicken eggs in the market. His uncle gave him a hongbao for all his work, not a salary. He used the money he made from the farm to buy a bicycle for $80 so that he could cycle to see his grandmother. She was very happy whenever she saw him. He could talk to her for hours on one visit.

This poor experience left an indelible memory in Toh Soon Huat’s childhood. He said: “If a person has not been poor, he does not understand what it is like to be poor, but the whole process of being poor allows me to learn and comprehend. I have learned what is gratitude, contribution and commitment. In fact, being poor is not a very hard thing, it is just an experience, a life process, and a life endurance because the opportunity to come into this world is to be grateful and contribute, But many people will complain. Being positive, the hardship we faced for being poor is just a severe process to improve oneself, change oneself, and prepare ourselves to face the future and life.

After selling the listed company he built, Toh Soon Huat wanted to study, improve himself, and plan for a new path for his life. But then calm down and think about it. Three falls are not a permanent failure. It is an experience and process to enhance the concept of life. Everyone bears various responsibilities at different ages. Responsibility is an innate mission of a person, which accompanies every life. We have to be responsible for our lives, no matter good or bad, bear all the results and occurrences.

After the 2008 earthquake in Wenchuan, Sichuan, China, several friends and he launched the “Let Love Flow” disaster relief TV fundraising activity in Singapore and raised $10 million to support those affected by the disaster. This donation helped the disaster-stricken area build seven Sino-Singapore Primary Schools and a bridge as a token of friendship. Every year, tens of thousands of new students are given the opportunity to receive education and acquire knowledge at these schools. They also understand about charity and dedication, gratitude and giving back. This also strengthened the long-term friendship between China and Singapore.

In 2008, the century-old Sian Chay Medical Institution was on the verge of closing due to a lack of voluntary professional management. Mr Teo Kim Chuan, the director of Sian Chay Medical Institution at the time, convinced Toh Soon Huat to take over, and Toh promised not to receive any salary to turn the tide. At the beginning of serving as the chairman, it was in a bottleneck period, with difficulties to raise donations and its operation was almost unsustainable. Over the years, With his personal charisma and Toh raised a large amount of donations to bring Sian Chay out of the predicament and make Sian Chay develop like a rising sun.

To develop Sian Chay and prepare a better future for Singapore’s philanthropy, Toh Soon Huat also integrated Sian Chay’s century-old charity spirit with his own life experience and created Sian Chay’s cultural values of forgiveness, universal love, compassion, gratitude, and blessing. Sian Chay also works with the nation to build a harmonious society by actively promoting the beliefs of “Nation Progresses, Family Prospers; Family Harmony, Successful Endeavours. Forward with the Nation, Bonding with the People.”. Upholding the great Chinese tradition of mutual assistance, Sian Chay provides free TCM consultation and low-cost treatments for the public, strongly supports welfare undertakings, actively participates in charitable activities in various communities, civic groups, and community centres to give back to the society, regardless of race and religion.

In fact, “forgiveness, compassion, and universal love” is a form of self-cultivation, a view of life and philosophy of life, gratitude and brightness towards life, It can solve many problems, related to physical and mental health, social harmony, and conflict and ignorance between people.

Sian Chay Medical Institution, a social enterprise, under societal management for social service.

Toh Soon Huat will continue to work with like-minded people, uphold the mission set by the predecessors with love and empathy, and systematically fulfil the goal to serve the people, serve the society, benefit more people, and dedicate fully
to charity as his responsibility for a bright, meaningful, and noble purpose.

At the same time, it is hoped that charitable organizations can interact with each other, support each other, do good together and share resources. Through universal love and gratitude, let’s work for charity and community welfare so that Singapore’s charity and welfare sector can thrive, and continue to benefit the vulnerable people in society, and the welfare of people can sustain throughout generations!

If you’re an ocean, a ship wouldn’t be a bother. If you’re a small lake, even a boat is too big. Hope there will be many big oceans to help the needy and vulnerable in Singapore and for our nation to grow and prosper. Walk out of your worldview and use your wisdom to look at the world from another angle and you may see another you, and a different you perhaps.

Continuing with compassion with Sian Chay, I hope that more people can enjoy the warmth of being cared for and be nourished in the spirit.