FIRST CONCEIVED BY THE PS21 QUALITY SERVICE COMMITTEE IN 2003, PS21 Star Service Awards celebrates the service achievements of public servants who are intensely passionate and demonstrate immense professional pride. This year's awards - the fifth so far - is organised by the Ministry of National Development (MND) and will take place on 10 July. Minister for Defence, Mr Teo Chee Hean, will grace the ceremony as guest of honour. In all, 81 public officers have been selected as winners; eight will be receiving the Distinguished Star Service Award. Challenge salutes these extraordinary people...

You could say nursing runs in her blood. Ms Chong, a veteran nurse at SGH, turned down an accounting career to follow her mum's footsteps - as a nurse. It was a decision made a good 17 years ago; one that still brings a smile to her face.

"Nursing has taught me to live with hope and to cherish life. It gave me a chance to make a difference, so why not?" she asks.

And what a difference she has made, too, in the life of one lonely young stranger who came to Singapore to seek medical help.

"There was this boy from Shanghai who came here alone to seek treatment for his leukemia last year as his parents couldn't afford the cost of the journey," she recalls.

The boy was only 21 years old then. Lost and alone in Singapore, he was wearing the same blood-stained shirt a week into his treatment at SGH.

"I noticed he was very pale and was wearing the same dirty shirt. He obviously couldn't cope and needed help."

Worried that he might catch an infection, she took him into her own home, fed and clothed him, and put him up for four months. She even brought him along on a family holiday to Malaysia at her expense.

The mother of two says, "He was very pitiful. I couldn't possibly let him be. My husband and children were very supportive, and I treated him like a son. He even called me 'mother' before he left for home."

The boy suffered a relapse in January this year and passed away three months later.

Still, the plucky nurse continues her work with her heart and arms wide open. "Every day, I see patients fight their illnesses with courage and dignity, and every day, I thank God for giving me the chance to make a difference in my patients' lives," she reflects.

It's no fun being the bearer of bad news, especially if it involves a death thousands of miles from home, but Ms Nur Aisyah took it all in her stride - and won the family's gratitude.

Ms Nur Aisyah, who is in charge of student affairs at MUIS, recalls a particularly harrowing case involving a student's death in Saudi Arabia. "One of our students was involved in a hit-and-run accident and died. It was in the middle of the night and the family here was understandably distraught" she relates.

Undaunted, Ms Nur Aisyah contacted the officials in Saudi Arabia, compiled a list of useful contacts, made flight bookings and saw the family off at the airport at 5am. She had by then worked non-stop for almost 20 hours.

Ms Nur Aisyah's actions touched the family at a time of great need, but she brushed away the compliment, saying, "The boy was the eldest son in the family and his parents had great hopes for him. They were very heartbroken, and all I could do was to be by their side and offer emotional support."

An active youth volunteer since young, Ms Nur Aisyah is happy in her current job, although it can be trying sometimes.

"Working with students is very uplifting because I have the chance to grow with them. But kids being kids, sometimes they do leave things to the very last minute, and that can be frustrating," she adds.

Nonetheless, the 26-year-old takes it with a dash of humour. "I, too, was their age not so long ago, so I try to understand!" she laughs.

He deals with angry, even violent, clients on a daily basis with single-minded purpose - to give abused or neglected children a chance to live normal, fulfilling lives. Mr Wong is an assessment officer with MCYS's Family and Child Protection and Welfare Unit. His job is to stop child abuse; a job both dangerous and heart-wrenching.

"By and large, parents challenge us on our right to remove their children from their homes. Many are verbally abusive, but some are physically aggressive," says Mr Wong, who shrugs off the potential violence as being part and parcel of the job.

His unit handles more than 50 cases a month. These usually involve children who have been ill-treated by parents or relatives. "In most cases, it is the schools or concerned neighbours who alert us to possible abuse cases. Once notified, we will go down to the child's home to ascertain the situation," explains Mr Wong.

And depending on the parent's mood and the officer's luck, there may be harsh words or worse in store.

"When we do home visits, we never know what we're in for. We don't even know how many adults there will be in the house, but we try to exercise caution. If we sense a physical threat, we won't enter the house," says Mr Wong.

The emotional strain gets too much after a while, admits Mr Wong, but thoughts of the innocent ones keep him going. "The children are the ones who give us that motivational push when the going gets tough. They depend on us to save them and to help rehabilitate the family. We owe it to them to at least give them an equal chance in life," he professes.

A man's home is his castle. Nobody understands that as much as Ms Lal, a veteran estates officer at HDB. Even after 12 years of handling housing appeal cases, Ms Lal still feels for the desperate homeless. "The most important thing is to have a roof over your head. I believe that everyone needs a place to call home," says the marketing graduate, who went out of her way to help one family land their own HDB flat.

The case involved a divorcee and her teenage daughter, recalls Ms Lal.

"The customer was desperate and came to me for help. She didn't have enough money, nor did she qualify for a bank loan. And she had extra burdens like her mum's medical bills. It was difficult for her because she earns less than $2,000 a month," she elaborates.

Not wanting to turn away a genuine hardship case, Ms Lal helped her out and submitted a paper on her behalf urging the management to make an exception.

Thanks to her efforts, a HDB loan was eventually granted, much to the relief of Ms Lal and her customer.

"Some people have it tough, and the least I can do is try not to make it tougher for them. Sometimes, all of us need a little help," she says.

Most of us don't have a good impression of the tax man, but a meeting with Ms Chin may just change your mind.

The affable 26-year-old goes so far as to give out her private mobile number so that her customers can reach her after office hours. "Sometimes, it's just not convenient for my customers to discuss their tax matters during office hours when their bosses or colleagues are around. For such cases, I usually try to reach them at home, or leave them my contact number," says Ms Chin.

Isn't she afraid that her trust may be abused? "There's always that possibility, but I prefer to think that most people are considerate and reasonable and won't abuse that privilege," she says.

According to Ms Chin, most customers do not dispute the need to pay tax. Rather, many are merely confused as to how the tax amount is computed, or what the tax rules are. "The customer could initially be agitated, even angry, but after I explain to them patiently the rules and tax calculations, they usually calm down," she adds.

Having been with front-line service for the past six years, Ms Chin has ready advice for anyone entering the service industry. "Don't take anything personally. Sometimes, the customer just needs a listening ear. At the end of the day, the customer is just like you and me," she shares.

Despite his innumerable duties and hectic schedule, Dr Su's dedication to his patients extends beyond his working hours.

"I enjoy bringing my patients out for a drink at nearby coffee shops as they get to see what's beyond the hospital walls. They need to be exposed to the external environment as it's important for recovery. Some of them do not leave the hospital, and are unable to overcome the fear within them," he says.

Mr Tay handles admissions for the school's nursing department. Touched by one student's passion, he granted the student a chance to chase his dream.

"I remember Fuad, who was distraught to learn that his application for the nursing course was unsuccessful. He was very upset and was in tears. Fuad confided that his dream was to become a paramedic. His passion moved me, and I offered him the first vacancy that came up," he recalls.

Ms Tan serves patients as a nurse and volunteers at the Church of St Francis Xavier and the Gift of Love Home in her spare time. A strong believer of constant learning, Ms Tan also attends regular courses in the hope that what she learns will benefit her patients.

"CGH has just launched a course on Professional Communication Skills for nurses by nurses. I am glad to be part of the team involved in preparing the course contents and programmes. Our goal is to raise service quality to greater heights for our patients," she says.