SINGAPORE - A pair of women who opened a daycare centre for children battling cancer and other critical illnesses were jointly named The Straits Times Singaporean of the Year 2023 on March 13.The centre was opened after Ms Paul met a 14-year-old boy at Assisi Hospice who was brought in for pain control while his parents worked. He asked why there was no such place for children, and Ms Paul promised him that she would open one.
Most of us, as fellow Singaporeans, would not be able to easily make quite the same extraordinary contributions that they have, he said. Ms Paul and Ms Lee were awarded a trophy and $20,000 in cash, while the other finalists received $5,000 each. The prize money was sponsored by UBS, which has supported the award since its inception.
ST Singaporean of the Year 2023 joint winners Ronita Paul and Geraldine Lee receiving their award from President Tharman Shanmugaratnam. With them are Ms Young Jin Yee, co-head of UBS wealth management in the Asia-Pacific and country head of UBS Singapore, and ST editor Jaime Ho. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM