MBBS Class of 1967 Bursary

MBBS Class of 1967 Endowed Bursary Efforts

When the School of Medicine suggested that our class set up a bursary as part of our Golden Anniversary celebrations, we agreed that an endowed bursary (rather than an expendable one) would be a good idea. To our delight, we promptly received support from some classmates.

One wrote: “I think this is a good idea and not a great financial burden on us”. Another wrote: “The bursary is an excellent idea. We have not donated to the medical school for 50 years, although it has given us an excellent education.” Yet another wrote: “The idea of gift giving through an Endowment Fund, coinciding with our 50^th anniversary is an appealing one. It’s for a good cause. It comes at a time of our lives when we feel grateful for our learning, and magnanimous in our attitudes. We are sure to succeed in raising the funds”.

Within a month we received almost S$80,000 in pledges (just over half the minimum required to set up an endowed bursary) from 25 individuals. Over the next month, we received pledges of another $20,000. And by the time we gathered in Penang 2 months later in November 2017 for the Golden Anniversary celebrations, we were almost reaching our target. With a few late pledges received during the celebrations, we were able to announce during our Brunch on the third day of our reunion that we had received $158,000 from 41 classmates.