Workers and volunteers from MS Care gather to celebrate seven years of friendship and support.
Contributed By Nathalie Chen
L.O.V.E. was in the air at Hotel Re! @ Pearl’s Hill as 23 volunteers from MS Care celebrated its seventh anniversary with 48 clients on Oct. 30.
Revolving around the theme of L.O.V.E.—Life Of Value and Esteem, the event highlighted the importance of having a healthy self-esteem and conveyed the message that everyone and every life is to be valued. Celebrating L.O.V.E., the volunteers decorated the entire ballroom with heart-shaped paper cuttings. A heart-shaped photo collage, comprising pictures of the volunteers and clients was put on display and a caricature artist was also present to create happy caricature portraits for the clients and their family members.
To break the ice, games such as “First Impression” and “Guess This” were played. The former required participants to mingle and interact with people whom they had never spoken to. They were then required to write down their positive first impressions of the people they spoke to. This game served to encourage clients to look beyond perceptions and know that everyone has a positive side to them. It was also encouraging for different ones to read notes such as, “a great mom,” “a fantastic cook,” “friendly,” and “approachable,” spoken of them.
The second game, “Guess This,” revealed the clients’ and volunteers’ creativity and showed that many perceptions could be formed through the view of different individuals. At the end of the game, many came to realize that they, too, could look at their own situations in a different, more positive light.
Renowned psychiatrist, Dr. Ang Yong Guan, chairman of the Action Group for Mental Illness in Singapore, gave a talk, covering topics of self esteem and health in an interactive and light-hearted manner. Using personal anecdotes and news clippings, he shared that self-esteem can be influenced by social, school and work environment. He also shared that even successful and famous people are not immune to depression and gave real life examples of how one overcomes depression by having a positive mind-set.
Christopher Ong, an MS client in his 20s felt that the event was very fun and meaningful. Having joined the group since 2005, he commented that the volunteers are now his friends. “I prefer to call them my friends rather than volunteers. With a volunteer, I might be hesitant to share all my problems, as there is a distance. However, as my friends, I feel that I can share everything with them.” He was also appreciative of the small details the volunteers put into making the event a success, especially ensuring that the tables were of suitable height for wheelchair-bound clients.
MS Care volunteer, Sylvia Sit, commented that she enjoyed herself very much at the event. “The volunteers really outdo themselves each year with their creativity. There is always a new theme, a new venue and games to heighten the interaction amongst the clients and volunteers. The volunteers are so passionate about making a difference in the lives of our clients. It was a good time for us to catch up with one another. It feels like old friends meeting up. It makes me proud to be in MS Care when I see the patients enjoying themselves and congratulating us for a successful event.”
Give Life, Give Blood
City Harvest Community Services Association held their 13th Blood Donation Drive for 2010 on Nov. 14. This time round, it was a collaboration with Tampines Changkat CC and the Health Sciences Authority of Singapore. The drive was held in conjunction with the Singapore Kindness Movement where daisies were provided to all the donors who came. A total of 195 donors were registered and 131 packets of blood were collected that day.
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| CN PHOTOS: Enrique Yang, Kenneth Lee and Lim Chai Seng |
Walking In Love
20,000 people took part in the iLove Singapore Walk 2010 on Nov. 13. The event, involving 30 different churches, saw Guest-of-Honor, Senior Minister, Prof. S. Jayakumar, taking part in the walk that morning. Organized by the Love Singapore Network of Churches, the event aimed to raise S$800,000 for the needy.
