Just like all of us who want and need constant support from our family and friends in different aspects of our lives, there are yet some who has been robbed of this support because of their personal circumstances. The annual Welfare Service Club (WSC) Community Service Day aims to brighten the lives of these people through various acts of kindness and meaningful interactions.
This year’s event, aptly entitled “Share & Care: Lend A Hand, Help A Friend” is all about teamwork. Teams from both NTU Motoring Club (NMC) and Welfare Service Club (WSC) Internal Relations Committee organised the WSC Community Service Day on 19 February 2017 at Boon Lay Community Centre.
The objectives of this event were:
- Providing food rations to low income families in Boon Lay;
- Providing beneficiaries with useful household tips, and at the same time, building rapport with them;
- Working as one team to show our care and concern for the various beneficiaries;
- Fostering closer bonds among WSC and NMC members; and
- Encouraging peers to volunteer outside of their various clubs’ commitment.
The event reach was fairly extensive – 170 needy households were identified by the various Family Service Centres, and approximately 85% of them (145 households) were present at the event.
In addition to the usual distribution of staple food packs to low income families in Boon Lay, “Share & Care: Lend A Hand, Help A Friend” also comprised of another one-day carnival fiesta.
We are also thankful for the much needed liaison support from staff of Boon Lay Community Centre.
The Highlights
Sharing and Interaction with Beneficiaries
Nothing beat seeing smiles on the faces of our beneficiaries – the immense sense of satisfaction and the tiredness from preparing for this event was all worth it!
The collaboration with NMC was fantastic, as food distribution became so much easier with their expertise in route planning. It felt like we were NTU’s Super Deliveroo / Foodpanda service.
The carnival fiesta was both fun and educational at the same time. Beneficiaries were taught household tips and tricks (which we termed them as “House Hacks 101”), and also given ideas to recycle their old household items. Most of them were even surprised at how easy it is to recycle and do their part to conserve the environment.
Booths were also set up at the carnival fiesta to teach Basic First-Aid and stretches to help alleviate common joint problems experienced by the elderly. There were also stage games, performances and lucky draw segments which attracted and entertained the crowd.
It was definitely a meaningful and fun Sunday for both the beneficiaries and volunteers at the event.
Spurring the Spirit of Volunteerism
Another primary goal of Share & Care 2017 was also to bring like-minded volunteers together for a fulfilling and memorable experience.
240 volunteers gathered on this special day to work towards a common worthy cause. These volunteers were assigned with different roles and placed randomly in groups to encourage interaction. Feedback was gathered after the event, and it reflected that many of them found this experience of sharing their unique stories with one another, an invaluable one.
We hope that these volunteers were inspired by one another at the event, and carry on the spirit of volunteerism for the rest of their lives.
The Memories
Reflection #1 – The Challenges
Completion of the fringe activities at the Carnival was earlier than expected
The expected timing for the Carnival was estimated to be about 2.5 hours to 3 hours, with an average of about 15 minutes at each game station.
In the end, the beneficiaries finished the Carnival activities within 1.5 hours. Reasons for this quick completion include “they were too tired to walk” and “they want to claim their food packs earlier”.
Reflection #2 – The Challenges
Insufficient Manpower
Some of the beneficiaries had health problems or were too frail to come to the Carnival. Therefore, a batch of volunteers were tasked to pack food and deliver to them.
This resulted in lack of manpower in some areas at the Carnival.
For future events, it is recommended to have contingency manpower plans (i.e. perhaps more manpower) for such unforeseen circumstances.
Reflection #3 – The Takeaways
- More dry runs and preparations should have been done for a more organised event.
- Numerous feedback were also sought from these volunteers and members, so as to facilitate better event management in the future.
- Both Committees from WSC and NMC unanimously agreed that this was a fruitful event, as it has benefited the intended beneficiaries and serve its purpose to bond members from both clubs.
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