A look at MS Care’s events for its clients, their families and volunteers in the third quarter of 2010.
Contributed By Nathalie Chen
MS Care is a service run by City Harvest Community Services Association that is dedicated to supporting people living with Multiple Sclerosis—a disease affecting the central nervous system. MS Care seeks to care for those suffering from MS and help them to achieve a better quality of life by providing moral support and a listening ear.
To do this, MS Care organizes recreational activities and befriending programs for patients in order to help them build a network of support with others suffering from the same condition. Building meaningful relationships with one another helps patients to achieve a sense of acceptance and self-worth as they get to share their experiences with others and help them in their journey down the road of MS.
MS Care organizes informal gatherings for clients, thereby providing a less intimidating environment for them to bond with one another and with volunteers. It is also through these gatherings that MS Care introduces new clients to the group and most of the time, they are well-assimilated by the end of the gathering.
For the third quarter of 2010, MS Care volunteers rekindled nostalgic memories for clients with Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations and the Kite Festival at the Promontory @ Marina Bay.
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| PHOTO COURTESY OF CHCSA |
For the former, MS clients were treated to a scrumptious spread of food and homemade cakes prepared by the clients themselves. No Mid-Autumn Festival celebration would be complete without participants indulging in a sing-along session to old classics such as Teresa Teng’s “Yue Liang Dai Biao Wo De Xin.” Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the night as they participated in either singing or playing musical instruments. Although many of the younger clients were not familiar with the old classics, the older ones were more than happy to step up and lead their younger counterparts in learning the songs.
Over at the Promontory @ Marina Bay, clients with younger children rekindled their childhood memories of kite-flying. Colorful kites flying freely against the beautiful backdrop of the azure sky made it a truly meaningful and enriching day for both the young and old.
The quarter’s events proved to be a novel experience for all the clients who participated, and what made it more meaningful was that everyone was involved in sharing their experiences with one another.
An MS client, a homemaker who only wanted to be known as Loo, said, “It was fun to be able to sing with everyone. Singing helps to lift my spirits and they are right about music healing the heart. I felt much happier after the sing-along. I also enjoyed meeting my friends and catching up with them as I don’t usually go out much. I thank the volunteers for organizing this event.”
Said MS Care volunteer Gwen Peh Lee Fang, a 32-year-old QC engineer, “We had a good time of fellowship; eating, chatting and singing. Through informal gatherings like these, my relationship with the clients has deepened. I am looking forward to the next gathering.”
