It was a day of golfing and giving at the Tanah Merah Country Club, where the ONE Changi community gathered for the Changi Airport Community Charity Golf on 9 July to raise a total of S$657,804 for Metta Welfare Association.
 

Organised by Changi Airport Group (CAG), the event began with a competitive game of golf that had participants from ONE Changi vying for attractive prizes sponsored by Singapore Airlines and Turkish Airlines, amongst many others. After a day of swinging and putting, participants and donors gathered for a dinner programme that featured performances by Metta’s youths, as well as a live charity auction. Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow was also present as the guest of honour.
 

"Today's turnout reflects the strength of the ONE Changi community. It's encouraging to see our airport partners come together so readily for a meaningful cause," shared the event’s organiser Joanne Tan.
 

The generosity of the airport community in this year's charity golf will go towards the construction of the Maitri Building (Training Block), where Metta's post-18 graduates with moderate to severe autism will gain vocational skills to prepare for employment and greater independence.
 

The need for such support is especially apparent as the youths transition into adulthood and receive less structured support, leaving many vulnerable to challenges in social inclusion, employment readiness, and independence—a gap Metta aims to bridge through the Maitri Building.
 

To Smarte Carte’s managing director Anthony Lim, seeing the event’s positive impact on the youths has made it especially rewarding and is what keeps him coming back. “If this initiative can help open doors and provide encouragement along their journey, then it has achieved something truly meaningful,” he said. Anthony hopes the Maitri Building will empower youths to discover their strengths and pursue new opportunities.
 

Beyond fundraising, CAG has offered work opportunities for Metta’s youths, such as commissioning a teen to design gifts for Terminal 5’s groundbreaking ceremony and employing two youths as interns at Gift by Changi, a gift shop in Jewel Changi Airport. These instances have given Metta’s youths the chance to showcase their talents and gain exposure and work-ready skills, said Hannah Lim, a youth employment executive at Metta.
 

“It gets [corporations] to see that Metta can do so much to help our kids,” Hannah added. “[And] showcase that our kids can actually do so much better.”