This year’s Singapore Heritage Fest (SHF) celebrates our nation’s rich built heritage. The Singapore Red Cross (SRC) proudly joins in this celebration, marking our 75th Anniversary with an open house at the Red Cross House on 11 May.

The Red Cross House is a building steeped in history with its origins dating back to 1949. Retaining the foundation stone laid by Lady Goode in 1959, the Red Cross House was opened by the esteemed late President Yusof Ishak in 1961. Recognising its significance in history, the Red Cross House was officially marked as a conservation building in 2014. After an 18-month refurbishment, the building was re-opened by President Tharman Shanmugaratnam in October 2023.

During the Open House, visitors delved into the building's storied past through guided tours of heritage spots, interactive demonstrations of key services such as first aid, and engaging activities. These moments underscored the Red Cross House's role as a repository of narratives, traditions, and culture, intricately woven into the fabric of the Singapore Red Cross's history.

Over the years, SRC has expanded its services, catering to the evolving needs of our community. In the early days, SRC conducted classes for the deaf, cared for children with disabilities, trained volunteers in first aid, collected blood, provided night ambulance transport, established the Red Cross Youth, and responded to major local and overseas disasters.

Today, the SRC now serves the vulnerable in Singapore through our services for isolated seniors, persons with disabilities, children and youth from disadvantaged backgrounds, families struggling economically, and migrant workers. We build capacity and resilience through our training Academy, Blood Donor Programme, Community First Aid, and volunteer and youth development. Beyond our shores, we channel contributions to support disaster-affected communities, embodying the spirit of humanity. All these were showcased to visitors during the open house.

Going forward, SRC will embrace technology to bolster our services, expand our footprint and presence in the community, and amplify our capacity-building efforts to reach new heights. As we embark on this journey, we invite all to join us in our humanitarian mission, ensuring that no one is left behind. Together, let us build a more resilient and compassionate society, guided by the timeless values of the Red Cross.

Photos by Lai Wei Song and James Tan, volunteer photographers