MediaCorp artiste Belinda Lee and friends bring joy and laughter to the old folks at AWWA Community Home this Chinese New Year.
Contributed By Melissa Chen
A group of City Harvest Church members, belonging to a cell group known as S49, under the pastoral care of deputy senior pastor, Tan Ye Peng, together with their family members, volunteered their time to be at Asian Women’s Welfare Association Community Home for senior citizens on Jan. 18 to celebrate Chinese New Year with the old folks. Among them was cell group member, Belinda Lee, the TV host of Renovaid.
The volunteers gathered at the function room as early as 5:30 p.m. to set up the sound system and pack the goody bags that included chicken essence, cream crackers, condensed milk, Milo, Nestum cereal and a red packet. Dinner was catered for everyone.
The celebration started on a high note as Lee, together with the other cell group members gathered and sang Chinese New Year songs to the group of senior citizens in the function room. Husband and wife, Miki Chan and Jasmine Ong, performed a few numbers with Chan on the keyboard and Ong with her beautiful vocals.
What followed was a night of “Golden Classics”—a karaoke session. It was the elderly’s turn to take the stage and perform. They sang songs in four different languages: Mandarin, English, Hokkien and Cantonese. An outstanding performance was put up by an Indian lady who sang Mandarin classics by Teresa Teng such as “Yue Liang Dai Biao Wo De Xin” and “Tian Mi Mi,” bringing the house down.
Needless to say, there were many cameras clicking throughout the night as volunteers and elderly mingled and chatted throughout the evening. The event certainly brought joy, laughter and love to the old folks in AWWA. Said Julie Sin, one of the members in the cell group, “The elderly were very appreciative of us coming to serve them dinner and sing with them. Both the young and old really had fun!” Another member, Sharon Lim, who is in the recruitment industry, remarked that visiting the elderly is something she will “definitely do it again as this small gesture brings tremendous warmth and a smile to the faces of the old folks.”
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| PHOTOS BY: Jammy Chang & Sebastian Chua |
As the night’s program drew to a close, goody bags were distributed to the senior citizens, who were visibly touched by the generosity and love of the volunteers.
“I came here thinking that I would be doing a good deed by volunteering my time to serve and do something for the old folks. But at the end of the day, it did not feel like I was serving; rather, I was building relationships. The old folks were so enthusiastic and participative. It was a time of enjoyment, fun and singing. In return for volunteering, I begin to appreciate my own family more now,” said financial planner, Serene Tham.
