STORIES BY CE01
PROJECT HONEY AND BREAD
BY LAI HAO XING (20SO6G)
Before we begin, what is Project Honey and Bread? Much like how honey complements a slice of bread with wonderful aromaticity, volunteers will be "honey buddies" who enrich the lives of the elderly through interactions and bonding activities, hence the term Honey and Bread.
One of the most unique and special features of our project is the implementation of the dual engagement system within a befriending setting. In contrast to the typical student-initiated interaction, the elderly would been couraged to share more about themselves and engaged to teach students certain skill sets which they are passionate about, such as sewing.
Student volunteers can look forward to customising their individualised set of activities for the specific elderly which they will befriend over the course of several sessions, based on the respective needs of the elderly. These include chinese chess, board games, memory games, calligraphy, sewing, digital IT education and many more. Apart from that, volunteers can also anticipate interesting conversations with the elderly about their life stories and experiences, whilst sharing their personal thoughts too.
To us, elderly befriending is the process of developing mutual trust and connection with the elderly, the process of extending communal concerns to all the elderly who are actually very friendly, and finally the process of ineffably growing fulfilment.
So take some time out of your own schedule and engage some of the elderly, including your grandparents and if you would like more, sign up for Project Honey and Bread at the link below!
STORY 1: UNCLE LIM, TOA PAYOH RESIDENT
UNCLE LIM AND HONEY & BREAD VOLUNTEERS
Mr Lim Ngak Boon, or “Uncle Lim”, as we affectionately call him, is an endearing and affable octogenarian whom we always look forward to visiting in Toa Payoh. From the very first time we visited him, Uncle Lim, the ever-enthralling storyteller that he is, would always regale us with stories from a treasure-trove of memories and experiences that he still vividly recalls.
From anecdotes about his quirky school art lessons in the 1940s; his first business venture as a retailer of beautiful textiles to the British Army in colonial Singapore; his bittersweet matchmaking experience; his work in post-independence Singapore at aGerman-owned warehouse; to his amazingly detailed insight on the Korean war, Uncle Lim gave us a front-row glimpse of Singapore’s early history. He even showed us his carefully preserved graduation certificate from the illustrious Chung Cheng High School!
But beyond a walk down memory lane, Uncle Lim helps us to understand our past to appreciate the future challenges we face. He is amazingly au courant with current affairs, candidly sharing his perspectives and opinions, and encouraging us to be well-informed of global matters by reading widely. He constantly reminds us of the concept of stewardship, exhorting us to maximise our learning opportunities in school now so that we can give back to our society in the future. Each interaction with uncle Lim always leaves us not only feeling deeply inspired and reflective, but also grateful for the nuggets of wisdom that he effuses.
Throughout all our visits, Uncle Lim’s friendliness has always moved us and we are blessed to have encountered such a lovely elderly!
STORY 2: MR LEE, TOA PAYOH RESIDENT
Mr Lee Hoe Kiat is our friendly neighborhood Chinese chess maestro who always enjoys a game or 2 with our volunteers. Each round of chess not only allows us to connect intellectually as we pit our minds and applaud one other's strategic moves, but also gives us a much needed respite from our hectic, tech-saturated lives. As we sit across one another on opposite ends of the chess board in pensive contemplation in the cool of his home, the moment almost seems ethereal.
Mr Lee is also very well-informed on current affairs, keeping abreast of events around the world. He candidly shared that he first worked as a plumber before serving in a church as a managerial staff. He resided there in the church premises for over 20years before relocating to a rental flat in Toa Payoh where he now lives. A large portrait of his daughter in her university convocation gown adorns the wall of the living room, and Mr Lee glows with pride and joy whenever he talks about her. We learn that she had been residing overseas with her family and had just returned to Singapore recently.
Life is simple for Mr Lee, whose daily activities include watching television shows, browsing the newspapers and leaving his flat for meals. As we chat, we begin to appreciate a profound lesson on contentment that Mr Lee exudes. Truly, life does not consist in a busy schedule or an abundance of possessions, but rather, an ability to slow down and derive joy from the simple pleasures around us. And as our strengths wane in our latter years, it is the warmth from the hearth of forged relationships that remind us of our shared humanity.
Thank you, Mr Lee, for your warm hospitality each time we visit, We look forward to many more rounds of chess and your wonderful stories!
Want to do something meaningful this year? Sign up to volunteer! Look out for more via opportunities, e.g. Flag days on Stamford Announcements and other publicity on Team Raffles Instagram page. For self-initiated external projects, submit proposals at CE.ri.edu.sg.
CE01 HABITAT FOR HUMANITY RAFFLES CHAPTER
BY ANGELINE LAI 20S03H, TAY RAY EE, 20S06G
Habitat for Humanity (HFH) RI Chapter collaborates with HFH Singapore to provide better living environments for the disadvantaged and disabled through our monthly Homework Cycles. According to the individual needs of each beneficiary, we clean, declutter and even paint houses so as to create a comfortable and hygienic home for them. In order to best do so, we engage volunteers from RI to join us in our Cycles.
While it is unlike the typical VIA that we are more accustomed to, ourHomework Cycles have propelled us to step out of our comfort zones so as to serve the wider community, bettering homeowners’ lives. Refurbishing our beneficiaries’ homes one at a time may seem insignificant, but to us, the joy lies in knowing that after each cycle at least one more person will have a more livable house - something that many of us take for granted. Beyond the surface of manual labour, we have also had the chance to interact with each and every homeowner during our cycles, listen to their life stories and try to further help them in any possible way, making our journey with HFH even more fulfilling.
Undeniably, this has been an arduous journey, but we are glad to say that the efforts have certainly paid off. We have found as much meaning and satisfaction in this as our hard work, and we are sure that you will too. So do look out for and join us in our future Homework Cycles, and follow us @hfh.richapter on Instagram for more updates!
MORE VOLUNTEERING OPPORTUNITIES
MINDS is organising a sports day to give
students an opportunity to interact with
PWIDS (People with Intellectual
Disabilities). Join them for a fun-filled day
of games and activities, and for a sneak
preview of a longer-term volunteering
opportunity that is coming soon.
Date: 29 Feb 2020, 1.30pm to 5.30pm
Venue: NTU The Wave
Commitment: Orientation (16 Feb) +
1 optional exposure session (22/23 Feb) at
MINDS |
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Every Saturday (Starting end Feb)
1.45pm - 4.15pm
BLK 220 Ang Mo Kio Ave 1
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Welcome to Operation Einstein! We are a
community service project which aims to
bring a unique form of “minds-on” scientific
education to underprivileged children.
Supported by the NUS Department of
Physics, we will be exposing primary school
students to different toys and experiments
which demonstrate various scientific
phenomena.
Our programme consists of 2 parts. First,
our annual camp will be held around April
this year. If you are looking to do meaningful
and enriching VIA, do consider this
opportunity! Meanwhile, our standard short
sessions at CDAC centres will run from May
onwards.
Refer to the links below to find out more!
Volunteer handbook for standard sessions:
tinyurl.com/einsteinhandbook
Volunteer info and schedule:
tinyurl.com/opeinsteininfo
Volunteer sign-ups:
tinyurl.com/einsteinsignups
Organising team info/ sign-ups:
tinyurl.com/einsteinOTinfo |