The rain did not stop some 3,000 other participants, from joining the inaugural Yellow Ribbon Race (YRR) 2022 this previous Sunday (Sep 25) morning.
It was previously branded as Yellow Ribbon Prison Run.
The YRR aims to increase awareness and support from the private sector and society overall for the Yellow Ribbon Project’s cause — giving ex-offenders a second chance in life.
The YRR raised $150,000 for re-integrating ex-offenders into society this year.
Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong flagged off both the 6km and 10km races, as well as running too.
“Each effort, no matter how small, is paramount towards building a more inclusive society, a nation that believes in second chances and beyond,” said DPM Wong at the YRR.
“With society’s trust and support, ex-offenders can step up and contribute actively towards a better future for all of us.”
Indeed, as DPM Wong has mentioned elsewhere, a strong foundation of trust is key to every society, and this social cohesion comes through consistently making efforts to understand and accommodate each other.
Community efforts for vital Second Chances
“I am glad the event garnered strong support from corporations and the public through their participation in the run and donations to the Yellow Ribbon Fund,” posted Minister for Communications and Information Josephine Teo, who also participated in the YRR with Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin and Minister of State for Home Affairs Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim.
“Their actions will help support more rehabilitation programmes for the inmates, ex-offenders, their families, and children,” continued Minister Teo about the efforts of all the YRR’s participants.
“What a lovely run in the rain! It just got heavier and heavier as we ran the two or so large laps around Changi Prison,” posted Speaker Tan not long after completing the 10km YRR in 57:23 minutes. “Thanks to the folks who manned the water points as well as the cheer-leading stations, they kept us going all the way!”
“Doesn’t matter whether you walked, jogged or run, we all run the race for Second Chances,” he emphasised.
With similar purpose, MOS Faishal met with ex-offenders, as well as eight organisations, on two different occasions around the YRR. These meetings involved sharing how to boost inmates and ex-offenders during their rehabilitation and reintegration.
“I met with a group of ex-offenders who are part of the @canvasartistssg support group session recently,” he posted the day after (Sep 26) YRR. “They were previously trained at the Visual Arts Hub in Changi Prison.”
“Now that they are released, they hope to give back to society in their personal capacity by supporting other ex-offenders who want to connect with a pro-social support group,” he shared of this from-the-ground initiative.
“Community partners and volunteers have an important role in steering ex-offenders towards the right path and supporting them in their desistance journey,” posted MOS Faisal after his Thursday (Sep 28) meeting with the organisations.
“We need to further strengthen the support for ex-offenders and their families, so that they can continue to desist from crime and drug abuse for longer periods.”
The Yellow Ribbon Community Arts Festival is coming to Gardens by the Bay November 5-13 2022. More details will be released closer to the date.