CHCSA launches Red Nose, a new initiative to promote better living through deeper love and bigger laughs.
PHOTO COURTESY OF CHCSA.
It’s already built a reputation for touching tens of thousands of lives through its community efforts, from transforming the lives of the elderly through its House of JOY to giving full support to HIV/Aids patients. But City Harvest Community Services Association is looking to do much more in 2013.
“Life is hard for many people; Singapore is a stressful place to live in,” says Darryl Loh, Executive Director of CHCSA. “We want to encourage people to live better lives through experiencing more love and laughter. That’s what we hope to start through Red Nose.”
Loh should know. CHCSA’s volunteers regularly encounter the marginalized in society: neglected old folks, teenagers from broken homes, abjectly poor families. Red Nose presents an opportunity for the organization to rope Singaporeans in to support and care for these needy individuals, as well as promote kindness and care across society.
CHCSA is planning 55 Red Nose projects throughout the year, so there is practically no excuse for anyone to not be part of it.
The first project is Little Acts of Kindness, held in conjunction with the Singapore Kindness Movement, which runs from May 1 to 10. CHCSA has a target of 50,000 kind acts by the end of 2013. A “little kind act” could be holding a door open for a stranger or paying for someone’s meal. CHCSA encourages that every kind act be Tweeted with @rednosesg #kindness.
The marquee event for Red Nose will be the Red Nose Walk on June 15, in which participants get to walk with special individuals—children with special needs or the elderly—and “walk a mile in their shoes” as part of this special event.
There’s also Red Nose Drive, a car rally; Red Nose Theatre, which brings the physical comedy of award-winner Kenny Ahern from the US, to schools and to the needy; Rosy Nosy Day, a special “date-your-grandparent” event in November, and many more Red Nose events to make this year one filled with love and laughter.
Meanwhile, at CHC, the organization has set up a booth that sells red noses every weekend for S$2 each. Interested parties can also sign up to take part in a Red Nose event in 2013.
ABOUT THE RED NOSE
Across the world, the red nose has long been a symbol of community outreach for a cause. In the UK, Comic Relief holds an annual Red Nose Day to benefit different communities in UK and Africa (from troubled youth to women and children). This year, boy band One Direction recorded a charity single and video of Blondie’s “One Way Or Another” to raise funds for Red Nose Day. British comedians get together to “do something funny for the money”. So far GBP75 million have been raised this year.
In Australia, red noses are sold in stores and fundraising efforts are conducted to support awareness and families of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and other children’s groups.
For more information on the various Red Nose events of 2013, visit www.rednose.sg. Also, follow Red Nose on Facebook and @rednosesg on Twitter.
