'We're carrying on her legacy'

She died during a trekking trip in Tibet two years ago.

But today, Ms Alice Sim remains very much a part of her friends' lives.

Ms Sim is described as a woman who always gave back to the community and helped the less fortunate and her closest friends are continuing her legacy.

For 13 years before her death, she organised annual charity drives that distributed welfare packages to senior citizens and the needy.

It became an annual tradition for the close-knit group of about 15, who fund the initiative out of their own pockets.

But in May 2012, Ms Sim, 61, died after developing altitude sickness during a trekking incident in Tibet.

Her close friend Madam Jenny Tan, 47, is determined to carry on what Ms Sim started.

Yesterday, Madam Tan and her friends, who now work under the banner "Alice Sim & Friends", continued their annual charity food drive at Woodlands Galaxy Community Club, where they handed out about 2,000 welfare packages.

Each pack included a bag of rice, biscuits, cooking oil, instant noodles and toiletries.

Said Madam Tan: "Alice was a great friend and a great teacher. She taught us to contribute to society and that was what we did with her for 13 years."

She added: "We do what we can to remember Alice and her legacy."

SECOND TIME

Yesterday's event was the second the group has organised since Ms Sim's death.

"On the flight to Tibet (in 2012), Alice had shared with me all the details needed to organise and run the event," Madam Tan recounted. "We carried on because we knew we had her support and her blessings."

She added: "I turned to her for every and any problem. She was always there to give me advice.

"I don't see her passing as an emptiness. Instead, it has taught me that I have to stand on my own feet and be strong."

Her husband, Mr Lee Chee Tak, 48, who was also a close friend of Ms Sim, added that it was the latter who inspired them to do charity work.

"We don't feel that she's gone. She's still a big part of our lives in her teachings and what she has done," he said.

This article was published on April 7 in The New Paper.

Get The New Paper for more stories.