Fostering Volunteerism

(Daddy volunteers)

The 2 boys had their first taste of volunteering back in December last year when we were one of the Official Bloggers for the Marina Bay Countdown 2012. Then, they mingled around with the elderly folks from the Ang Mo Kio Family Service Centre and they thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

So when I received an email from the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre, inviting my family down for a Volunteer Drive experience on 1st September, I was totally game. Only problem was, we already had something on.

But I was determined to expose my Ash & Ayd to the world of volunteerism as I always believe that everyone has the ability to make a difference in someone else’s life.

And so, I scoured the sgcares.org website for volunteer opportunites and I finally settled on a Music Performance at the Blue Cross Thong Kheng Home.

The volunteering brief sounded easy enough: Come join us to share the joy of music to residents of Blue Cross Thong Kheng Home. We welcome anyone who would like to spend a morning to befriend the residents! There will be a series of bands and ensembles to woo the residents with english and chinese oldies.

But the elderly at the Home are somewhat different from the normal elderly folks that the boys are familiar with - most of the folks there are with disabilities, either physically or mentally.

So Ash & Ayd were initially quite taken aback when a few of them would suddenly wail or scream loudly. In fact, they were getting all jittery as we entered the hall compound where most of the elderly folks were gathered to watch the performance.

But I don't blame them. It is after all their first ever experience coming into close contact with these folks and even the wifey was a tad apprehensive as well.

As the band performance wore on, the 2 boys eventually grew a little more comfortable and assisted the other volunteers in distributing packet drinks and ice cream to the elderly folks.

And for that, I am immensely proud of them!

The fear in them didn't totally dissipate but considering it was their first time, I thought they performed brilliantly.

I think it was an eye-opening experience for them. They had the chance to interact with people who are quite different from the people they are used to and I believe the encounter had made them appreciate the people around them a little better.

The performing Band and the entire gang of Volunteers

The wifey thought it was a fantastic session for the entire family, and we think it might just be the start of a regular activity for the entire family. :)

And if you are thinking of volunteering your time but do not know where to start, here's a piece of good news! On 1st September (Saturday), 50 Non Profit Organisations will be opening their doors and inviting the public to visit and learn more about what they do, and hopefully be able to interest them volunteer thereafter.

As part of an expanded focus of The President's Challenge this year, Volunteerism Xperience (VX) on 1 September 2012 is the highlight of the Volunteer Drive which seeks to encourage everyone to be more involved in the community and promote volunteerism as a way of life.

On this day, the public will have the chance to visit non-profit organisations which will open their doors to showcase their day-to-day work and how they engage volunteers in furthering the good causes they do. During VX, members of the public can also sign up as volunteers in a range of activities hosted by these organisations or within the community.

Over 300 volunteer activities will be organised by various organisations and through these volunteer activities, 5000 volunteers are required. On 1 Sept 2012, there are over 2500 vacancies under the NPO Open House which are available for the public to sign up.

If you want to sign up and be a part of the Volunteerism Xperience, click HERE for more details!

For more information visit www.sgcares.org