SINGAPORE – Dr Chang Shin Yi started questioning her self-worth when her elder daughter started secondary school in 1992.

“Coming from Taiwan, my English was not up to par, making it difficult to find a job in Singapore,” Dr Chang told The Straits Times.

She eventually brushed up on the language and, determined to help others overcome their fear of the Chinese language, Dr Chang jumped at the opportunity when she found out from a friend that the Chinese Development Assistance Council (CDAC) was looking for volunteers to help give tuition to less privileged students, workers, seniors and families within the Chinese community.

Today, 33 years later, the grandmother of five, now 70, is the CDAC’s longest serving volunteer, playing roles on the front line as well as being on the editorial committee of the organisation’s newsletter.

On July 5, she was among 264 individuals and organisations honoured for their unwavering service at CDAC’s inaugural Volunteers and Partners Appreciation Day, held at Gardens by the Bay.

They received their awards from Health Minister and Coordinating Minister for Social Policies Ong Ye Kung.

Dr Chang, who in 2018 got a PhD in counselling and went on the following year to found Friends-In-Deed Counselling Society, a mental health advocate and social service provider, said: “Having volunteered at the CDAC, its staff and volunteers have become my family. It is a place where I was fortunate to have found support and bonding.”

In her more than 30 years with CDAC, Dr Chang has made a deep impact on the ground, particularly supporting at-risk youth and vulnerable families. She even spearheaded key initiatives such as the Parenting Conference and the support group for families with adolescents.

Although she has been nominated several times for awards and had previously declined all of them, Dr Chang finally decided to accept the CDAC award, after much persuasion from CDAC staff.

“I feel both happy and humbled by th...