Contributed by Nicolette Ng Zhining
In partnership with Morning Star Community Services, a group of volunteers called ONE724i headed by Dwayne Lum, an undergraduate in NUS, organized an unforgettable night of food, fun and family bonding on 21 March 2009.
Morning Star Community Services is a non-profit, voluntary welfare organization which serves to reach out to families in the community while ONE724i is a youth group which aims to inspire youths aged 17-24 years old to be more actively involved in community work.
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Themed “Thank God For Parents” (TGFP) night, this event aimed at promoting an avenue for families to come together every quarter of the year to cultivate healthy family bonding and engage in enriching activities.
Throngs of families from various neighbourhoods came together for a time of fun, delicious home-cooked delicacies and bonding.
The night started off with two enthusiastic youth emcees who headed a series of ice breaker games, scavenger hunt and family dress-up game which the families enjoyed immensely. Volunteers of ONE724i also put up live music performances, crooning famous hits by Jason Mraz and Coldplay.
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| PHOTOS: Nicolette Ng |
A potluck dinner was then provided by Morning Star Community Service members and many of the families who participated. One of the highlights of the dinner was a cooking skills class conducted by the professional executive chef of Hard Rock Café, who definitely made an impression with his mouth-watering shepherd pies.
The excitement hit an all time high when Dwayne gave a talk on about how to build better relationships, complete with entertaining dramas to illustrate various ideas. It was indeed an enriching and fruitful night for all the families who participated in TGFP night.
The night drew to a close with a mass dance anchored by 10 volunteers from Temasek Junior College. This got the crowd rousing as every parent and child were on their feet grooving the night away. It was encouraging to see the youths making a difference in the community, building lives and building families.
