January 08, 2023, 11:52 AM
Follow us on Telegram for the latest updates: https://t.me/mothershipsg
GDLL stands for Give, Donate, Laugh, Love. Trust us, we know how that sounds.
With the amount of "Who cares?" in our comments sections, we thought, “Hey, we know people who do.”
For every weekend during this festive period, we are featuring local personalities who care, and the ways they do so.
Kim Lim needs no introduction -- like it or not, all aspects of the the billionaire heiress' life is put under the microscope.
These days, most of the 31-year-old's social media posts are about her travels around the world, or about her ever-growing beauty empire (she founded Illumia Therapeutics, Illumia Medical and Papilla Haircare, all of which are under the KLHealth group).
What people often forget are her regular contributions to society, be it in Singapore or overseas.
In her blood
Speaking to Mothership, Lim shares that her philanthropy started from when she was a child.
Photo from Kiat Lim's Instagram
She recalls:
"Growing up, my dad has taught me the importance of giving back. He would involve my brother and I in his charity work by bringing us along to various donation drives and voluntary work."
Her dad is none other than business magnate Peter Lim. And yes, he's very generous.
He has also pledged S$20 million to date to the Singapore Olympic Foundation (SOF) for the SOF-Peter Lim Scholarship, which supports promising young athletes to chase their sporting dreams.
While she cannot recall the exact age she started tagging along with her dad to do good, these memories date back to when she was in kindergarten.
Giving back in more ways than one
The elderly, children and animals are areas which Lim feels especially strongly about.
Photo courtesy of Kim Lim
Photo from Kim Lim's Instagram
Photo courtesy of Kim Lim
That being said, she also reaches out to others beyond these three groups. For one, she delivered food to local frontliners -- medical staff included -- during the peak of the pandemic.
"I wanted to thank them and remind them that they are not invisible or forgotten," she reveals.
On a larger scale, KLHealth supported People’s Association (PA) on several donation drives to send food and daily necessities for those in need, and is in discussions with other organisations to work out long-term plans to support their initiatives.
Photo from Kim Lim's Instagram
Passing it on
It comes as no surprise that Lim hopes to pass the altruistic spirit to her son, five-year-old Kyden.
Photo from Kim Lim's Instagram
She shares:
"Like how my dad has set a great example for me, I would like to do so for Kyden too. I wish for Kyden to have a good heart and to grow up to be a good person.
I constantly remind him that he is blessed to have what he has, that he should always be grateful, be appreciative, and learn to treat others respectively. So yes, Kyden fuels me to do more good."
She leads by example, and involves the preschooler in her efforts whenever she can.
One example was their joint birthday celebration last year, a fancy carnival-themed party dubbed the "Kandy Karnival".
As part of the festivities, Lim hosted about 50 youths from the North East Community Development Council, Social Service Office (SSO) @ Tampines and Boys’ Town.
She explains that on top of spending time with her loved ones at the party, she found it meaningful to share the joy with others as well.
Some of them, she adds, went to the extravaganza with their family members, which she hopes served as a chance for them to bond.
Since the pandemic began, Lim has brought Kyden to fewer charity events -- something the boy has noticed.
"I think he enjoys going to these events, because once in a while he will ask me about it," she shares.
"He’s a super helpful boy, especially towards the old folks. Be it at the events or at home, he will always think of the old folks first. He will think of buying food or sharing his food with them, or help them carry stuff."
Lim also sits him down every once in a while to go through all the gifts he receives -- "it's almost impossible to use all of them," she says -- and picks out as many items as possible to donate.
She adds:
"I always tell him that we are very blessed and fortunate to enjoy these gifts, but there are people out there who are less fortunate, and some of them are children who are the same age as him.
They might need these items more than we do, and they will also be very happy to receive gifts. I always remind him that we are privileged, and that we should do everything within our means to pass it on.
Right now it’s about helping him understand the importance of doing good through the joy of sharing, and hopefully I’ll be able to involve him further in our future charity efforts."
On virtue signalling
Some might think that Lim's social media posts about doing good is merely virtue signalling -- something that she is aware of.
"I definitely feel that the act of doing charity itself need not be broadcasted," she concurs. "I usually do a shout-out on my social media with the intention to help raise awareness, and to rally more people to come together and help those in need."
There are also those who think that a billionaire should give more, with the sole reason being that she is financially able to.
The true magnitude of Lim's contributions might never be known -- she hesitates to mention the number of people she helps out at every event -- but she thinks that charity doesn't always have to be about money.
Giving back, at least in her book, can take different forms.
She adds:
"I feel like sometimes what the old folks or children need is simply someone whom they can to talk to, to remind them that they are not forgotten and that there are people out there who still care for them.
Ultimately, it’s about giving from the heart and not expecting something in return."
More GDLL
Top photos courtesy of Kim Lim
If you like what you read, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Telegram to get the latest updates.