Contents - YWCA of Singapore
Transcription
Contents - YWCA of Singapore
“ Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:2-3 ” Contents President’s Message Credits Upcoming Events YWCA News Events Community Services Childcare: Bishan CDC Compliments Announcements Spotlight: Ms Evelyn Yeo 2 2 2 3 4 6 9 11 11 12 July September Issue Muzikalthon 2014 WoW-ESU with New Partner Punggol Primary June Holidays at Bishan CDC A quarterly newsletter of the YWCA — Young Women’s Christian Association of Singapore www.ywca.org.sg President’s Message Y WCA News This quarter’s issue is full of exciting news of the events and activities of YWCA, the most recent being the Muzikalthon. The 2014 Muzikalthon was a success as we were able to raise more than our target amount. I like to thank the staff, volunteers, participants and donors of the Muzikalthon for their effort. It was much enjoyed by everyone who attended the event and the mini-carnival which took place at the same time. We were impressed by the talent of the participants and one of the participants was Ms Lily Goh who sang two songs by sign language and it was indeed a beautiful performance! Ms Tan (right) at the recent Muzikalthon 2014 with 2nd Vice President, Mrs Dancy Thong Relaunch of YWCA Website: 10 New Functions The official YWCA website was relaunched on 24 June with a brand new look and many useful features. The homepage is now enhanced with the following functions aimed at improving your browsing experience: The other activities for this quarter were the extensive programmes provided by our Community Services team to our beneficiaries. The team had been working hard during the June holidays to provide a variety of programmes to our beneficiares which were well received. 1. Events Calendar: With comprehensive listings of all events across the Association, keep yourself abreast of activities at YWCA. 2. Features Panel: Three of our most important news shortlisted so you will not miss out. 3. Contribute > Wishlist: A wishlist of items has been created for our beneficiaries and the Association to support donations in kind. 4. Careers: Updated monthly, come explore job and internship opportunities with us. 5. Contact Us: Location maps are now available, as well as a feedback/enquiry form. 6. Search Bar: Search any term throughout the site to access information at once. 7. Facebook Box: Immediately ‘like’ our Official YWCA Facebook page and be updated on current news and happenings. 8. Upcoming Events: The next three events from the Event Calendar appears here. 9. Popular/Latest/Tags Posts: Tune in to the most read and current posts, as well as key tags and topics. 10. Sitemap: With one click, get the big picture of everything going on at the website. The next major fundraising event is our Flag Day on 20 September 2014. Please donate generously when you see one of our collectors wearing a turquoise YWCA T-shirt. The monies received from the Muzikalthon and Flag Day will be used to fund our community services. For more details of our community services, please check our website. The YWCA website has been revamped and relaunched. Information on the new features of the website is given in this issue. You are encouraged to keep up-to-date by checking our website regularly. The YWCA is thankful that the staff, members, volunteers and donors have been so supportive and committed to the YWCA so that she can continue to carry out her mission. To God be the Glory. Tan Kee Leng, PBM President YWCA of Singapore Credits Upcoming Events Published by YWCA AQUA AEROBICS CLASS YWCA annual flag day 2014 Editor Ms Tan Kee Leng Editorial Committee Members Mrs Gan Soh Huan, Mrs Dancy Thong, Ms Mavis Tsoi Editorial Coordinators Mrs Leung Yee Ping, Ms Gladys Foo, Ms Ling Goh, Ms Stephanie Hung (New classes starting from October) Every WEDNESDAY TO FRIDAY Venue: YWCA Fort Canning Lodge Swimming Pool (Level 3) Time : 7pm - 8pm (Wednesdays), 7pm - 8pm (Thursdays), 6.45pm - 7.45pm (Fridays) 20 September (saturday) Venue: YWCA Fort Canning Lodge, Ang Mo Kio MRT Station, Jurong East MRT Station, Novena Square Pasir Ris MRT Station, Time : 8am – 5pm 254 Outram Road Singapore 169051 Tel: 6223 1227 Fax: 6227 3650 Email: [email protected] Website: www.ywca.org.sg Articles may be reproduced but acknowledgement must be given to YWCA/ Young Women’s Christian Association of Singapore, and a copy of the publication should be sent to the Editor. Articles express the opinions of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of the YWCA/Young Women’s Christian Association of Singapore. All information correct at the time of printing. All rights reserved. © YWCA of Singapore 2014. MCI (P) 031/04/2014 Apology We would like to sincerely apologise for misnaming Mr Peter Proft, Community Involvement Committee (CIC)/CSR Chairman of UPS Singapore in the UPS Foundation Grant Cheque Presentation article on page 7 of our previous issue. 2 Jul - Sep 2014 • ywLink AQUA SPIN CLASS Every MONDAY & Tuesday Venue: YWCA Fort Canning Lodge Swimming Pool (Level 3) Time : 7.45pm - 8.30pm (Mondays), 7.30pm - 8.15pm (Tuesdays), 8.15pm - 9pm (Tuesdays) staff dinner & dance 6 september (saturDAY) Venue: YWCA Fort Canning Lodge Sophia Cooke Ballroom (Level 2) Time : 6pm – 11pm kids’ club: september school holidayS programme 12-13 september (FRIday & saturDAY) Venue: YWCA Outram Youth Centre (Level 1) Time : 2pm – 5pm (Friday) 10am - 1pm (Saturday) By Ling Goh senior citizens’ lunch 24 october (friDAY) Venue: YWCA Fort Canning Lodge Multi-purpose Hall (Level 1) Time : 11am - 3pm Our various application forms have been provided for easy download access as well and information is updated every fortnight. VOLUnteers’ & donors’ appreciation night 31 october (friDAY) Venue: YWCA Fort Canning Lodge Sophia Cooke Ballroom (Level 2) Time : 6pm - 9.30pm Dedicated subsites for Fort Canning Lodge and Childcare are also being created and eventually, visitors will be able to access the subsites separately for a user-specific experience. Go visit www.ywca.org.sg now! For more information, please visit our website at: www.ywca.org.sg Exciting Perks for Members Venues YWCA OUTRAM 254 Outram Road Singapore 169051 YWCA FORT CANNING LODGE 6 Fort Canning Road Singapore 179494 “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” Colossians 3:15 By Kwok Shuyi YWCA is pleased to announce a revamped list of exclusive member perks. Members can take advantage of discounts on an exciting range of products and services offered by our partners. These include: • Donna Beauty • Intune Music • SKS Books • The Patissier • Zalora (Refer to our insert for more details!) We will be rolling out and adding more member perks to the list, so be sure to stay tuned for these updates! “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:18 ywLink • Jul - Sep 2014 3 Y WCA News Events YWCA Annual Flag Day 2014 By Nicole Chua “Love without action is dead; Let’s CARE, Let’s SHARE Let your LOVE be known; Let your LOVE be flown!” YWCA will be holding her annual Flag Day on Saturday, 20 September 2014. The target is to raise $50,000 to support our various community services. Operation centres will be set up across the island with Fort Canning Lodge as the headquarters. Fundraisers will be spread out all around Singapore to appeal to the public for their generous support. Aqua Spin By Kwok Shuyi Some of you would have signed up and been to the Aqua Spin classes at our YWCA Fort Canning Lodge swimming pool. Others might have seen the sessions being conducted; with 13 bikes placed in the pool, it is quite an amazing sight! What is Aqua Spin? Aqua Spin is one of Europe’s hottest fitness crazes which takes traditional spinning underwater for a low-impact, highresistance workout that burns up to 800 calories an hour. It also boosts blood circulation, improves cardio fitness and builds muscular strength. The Benefits of Aqua Spin Aqua Spin instructor, Yannick Dedigama expresses that “your weight is supported by the buoyancy so there is zero strain on the joints. Spinning underwater also generates a massaging effect that reduces cellulite, water retention and best of all, reduces muscle aches.” Given that Aqua Spin uses the benefits of water buoyancy and resistance, this ensures that the exercise motions and sequences are especially gentle, making for a great vigorous workout suitable for everyone! Furthermore, Aqua Spin is an exercise technique which gives you a full body exercise, using cycling movements to strengthen your legs, as well as arm movements to strengthen and tone your arms. Orange Day Beach Picnic at Sentosa By Nicole Chua As part of the Care & Share movement, the YWCA has been invited to participate in the bazaar for the ComChest Orange Day 2014 Beach Picnic at Palawan Beach, Sentosa on Saturday, 6 September, from 9am to 1pm. Orange Day is a community event for the Care & Share movement initiated by the National Council of Social Services, which will be matching every donation we receive during the bazaar. The movement aims to encourage Singaporeans to contribute to worthwhile causes and in particular, promote social services for the needy. YWCA will be setting up a booth selling Vietnamese Rolls, Stuffed Tau Pok, Chocolate Chip Cookies and Butter Cookies. Come and support us at our booth as we prepare to embark on a remarkable and exciting journey in 2015 to celebrate Singapore’s 50th and YWCA’s 140th Anniversaries! We hope to see you there! Jul - Sep 2014 • ywLink You can make an impact in someone’s life! Muzikalthon 2014 By Nicole Chua & Stephanie Hung Contact Details For more information, you can visit www.aquaspin.sg, email [email protected], or call +65 96989202. Events 4 If you would like to make a donation, please download our donation form on our website at www.ywca.org.sg. Alternatively, if you would like to volunteer and offer your time to join our fundraising teams at Ang Mo Kio, Dhoby Ghaut, Jurong East, Novena, or Pasir Ris drop us an email at [email protected]! “For the Lord takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with victory.” Psalm 149:4 On Saturday, 16 August, the YWCA held her biennial fundraising event, Muzikalthon 2014, at Fort Canning Lodge’s Sophia Cooke Ballroom. It was fun-filled day packed with much joy, laughter and smiles. As early as 9.30am, participants started filing into the event venue in high spirits and an air of excitement filled the place. The event was split into two concerts running from 10am to 12pm and 2pm to 4pm, featuring 16 and 19 performing acts respectively. There were a great variety of performers who entertained the audience by putting on acts such as singing, playing musical instruments and dancing -- all in the name of raising funds for the underprivileged in our community. Children and staff from many of our Child Development Centres came forward to perform. We were also joined by groups from NPS International School and individuals who stepped forward to do their bit for charity. Indeed, there was much musical talent unleashed throughout the day! In particular, we were privileged to welcome Ms Lily Goh, winner of the 2014 Singapore Woman Award and proponent for deaf arts, who performed as part of the YMCA Deaf Generation and used sign language to “sing” two songs. Outside the Ballroom, many YWCA staff and volunteers bustled about manning booths at the lively mini carnival. This consisted of food stalls selling an array of goodies, from hot dogs to burgers, muffins and cakes. There were also multiple funtastic game booths which challenged the little ones and provided face painting, balloon sculpting and nail art. On top of this, many visited the White Elephant thrift shop, which sold an array of second-hand steals ranging from apparel to household items. Indeed, the event was a huge success and we managed to surpass our goal of raising $50,000 to channel into sustaining and supporting the YWCA’s wide range of community services! For more photos of the event and all our other events, head on over to our Official YWCA Singapore Facebook page now! “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Philippians 4:8 ywLink • Jul - Sep 2014 5 Events community services Volunteers’ Gathering: A New Initiative Everyone was on task during the packing, and in no time, the volunteer drivers zoomed out to the homes of the elderly who were eagerly waiting for their simple, yet delicious lunch made with love. By Alice Chua We will be holding our very first Volunteers’ Gathering on Friday, 29 August from 7pm to 9pm at the Fort Canning Lodge Multipurpose Hall. Of course, everyone was treated to the fruits of their labour before wrapping things up. We certainly started our weekend on the right foot by doing a good deed for the less fortunate, and are definitely looking forward to the next two Cook-Outs in September and October. The team will have a great time brainstorming the next menu, so look out! As we are expanding our community services and programmes, volunteers can take this opportunity to know more about YWCA and what they can do to make a difference in the community. There will be individual booths featuring our various community services and programmes, with staff stationed at each booth so that volunteers can walk around and find out more about the programmes they are interested in. We will use this platform to seek feedback from volunteers and look forward to meeting like-minded people, so as to improve our services and programmes. Updates on the actual event will be available in our next issue. Come on down; we hope you are as excited to meet us as we are! Together we can make a difference! Acknowledgement: We would like to express our gratitude and appreciation to the volunteer designer of our e-invite (left), Miss Yi Xuan, for offering her time and effort to produce this lovely piece of creative work. community services UPS Cook-Out 2 By Kwok Shuyi Despite kick-starting our 2nd Cook-Out of the year as early as 7.30am on a Saturday morning, YWCA staff and 28 UPS volunteers alike had a spring in their steps and a bright smile planted on their faces. The UPS corporate volunteers and their kids gathered into a happy chatter, which made the morning exceptionally cheerful! After being briefed on their roles and the menu, everyone went to their respective stations to start the meaningful task of cooking for our 250 elderly beneficiaries. The menu was prepared by our volunteer chef Ms Gladys Foo and featured Tau Cheo Chicken with Mushroom, Baby Asparagus with Dried Shrimps, Fried Tofu with Thai Chilli Lime Sauce and Green Bean Soup as dessert. With the bulk of food preparations completed the previous afternoon by another team of nine UPS volunteers and the addition of experienced hands on-site, the cooking was a breeze with minimal hiccups. It is amazing what teamwork can do – indeed more hands make the load lighter! 6 Jul - Sep 2014 • ywLink “All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.” John 6:37 Baking Frenzy at YWCA Youth Centre By Nicole Chua A baking series of workshops was planned and conducted at the YWCA Youth Centre during the June school holidays. The first session was on 10 June, during which our youths made Vanilla Cookies filled with delicious Nutella. By the end of the session, the cookies were adorned with coloured rice and looked beautiful! The next day, the youths each baked a mouthwatering Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Ganache, along with Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting. Doses of endorphins were most definitely released after each bite! After all the baking frenzy, the youths once again headed down to the Singapore Discovery Centre for the 2014 YOUTHphoria Festival on 28 June to mark the end of the school holidays. They had a fun-filled day participating in carnival games and watching the movie ‘How to Train Your Dragon 2’ in 3D. In addition, we had two sessions with the AG Home in June. The girls were taught how to cook Sesame Chicken Noodles and bake perennial favourite, Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Ganache. They even decorated their cakes with Marshmallow Pops, a technique that was taught several weeks back. It was very heartwarming to witness their innovation through improvising upon things that they had learned in the past. Sustenance with Standard Chartered Bank By Carol Tan On Friday, 4 July, the Sustenance for Families programme welcomed a new group of corporate volunteers from Standard Chartered Bank, one of the leading banks in Singapore. It was their first time volunteering with the YWCA and like many other companies seeking to do corporate social responsibility, they elected to assist in packing the monthly distribution of dry rations for our beneficiaries. They braved the heat and humidity to pack at our Adult Day Centre with a positive and thankful heart. We are glad to have them join us and hope to be able to collaborate with them again in future. They join the ranks of new 2014 Sustenance partners like Grundfos, Ralph Lauren and Yellow Pages. We are grateful for such avid support and will continue to commit this effort to the over 1000 families islandwide whom we serve! “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10 ywLink • Jul - Sep 2014 7 community services C h i l d ca r e : B i s h a n c d c Mother’s Day Celebration By Rebecca Au At the Bishan Child Development Centre (CDC), Mother’s Day was celebrated with the important intent of teaching children to appreciate their mothers’ love and care for them. Our children made lovely Mother’s Day cards and wrote words of appreciation in them which would melt any mother’s heart. In the days beforehand, the children were asked to brainstorm ways by which they could thank their mothers and make them happy on that significant day. WoW-ESU with New Partner Punggol Primary By Alice Chua Punggol Primary is one of our new partners for this year. The school counsellor contacted us for the Workz-on-Wheels (WoW) programme after reading about us in the Children’s Social and Emotional Well-being (CSEW) Directory by Singapore Children’s Society. We were engaged to work with their students with special needs, called the ‘Twinkles’, with the aim of raising the pupils’ self-esteem whilst inculcating life skills and independence in them. Besides that, we also hoped to provide these pupils with a platform to promote empathy, a sense of belonging and an avenue to voice their opinions and share their thoughts. We worked closely with our Educational Support Unit (ESU), especially Yen, to tailor a curriculum designed to boost the children’s confidence in life according to their individual and unique profiles. Yen has over 10 years of experience working with children with special needs so it was a real treat to see her expertise in action during this inter-department collaboration. On 16 July, we had our first session with the children, playing games like Twister and other activities. They were grouped according to the similarity of their conditions and prior to this, different methods were imparted to the YWCA staff and volunteers present to equip them with the knowledge of how best to handle the children’s needs. After the session, feedback received from the Allied Educator and school counsellor was well worth all the effort. They shared that this was the first time the children were fully engaged in 8 Jul - Sep 2014 • ywLink the activities, during which the teachers observed that some of the children were trying very hard to complete the tasks. This was very positive as it indicated that they trusted themselves to achieve the results. The second workshop, a baking class, was conducted at the YWCA Youth Centre on 30 July. The children were briefed on the process of making cookies, and some ground rules for safety (such as no walking near the ovens) were set before the session began. In accordance with the children’s suggestions, mothers were asked to wait outside the classroom. Inside, the children gathered at the entrance and shouted “Surprise!” whilst releasing the balloons they held in their hands as the door opened. They then sang a ‘thank you’ song to all mothers present. Every mother beamed with joy as she was touched by her child’s kind gestures. In adherence to the Chinese tradition, the children served their mothers tea and expressed words of gratitude and love to them. Subsequently, there was a session of fun and games where both mother and child cheered each other on. This was followed by a colouring contest between both parties and a drawing session centred upon the ways that mothers love to spend free time with their child and vice versa. A total of 18 children joined this Butter Cookie baking session where they each had the chance to decorate their own cookies. Some cookies were baked for the children to taste beforehand, so that they knew what the end-product was like. This group of children responded well to visual aids, simple instructions and positive encouragement. They were divided into six groups of three, and practised sharing and teamwork by helping each other. All the children enjoyed the session very much, with many taking to the simple act of kneading dough with sheer therapeutic joy! They were thrilled to bring their cookies home to share with their friends and family. Some of them generously shared their cookies with the volunteers too! The WoW sessions with Punggol Primary’s ‘Twinkles’ run on alternate Wednesdays. As the year progresses, we look forward to further collaborations with Punggol Primary and ESU for these deserving children! “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” Matthew 18:20 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding...” Proverbs 3:5 ywLink • Jul - Sep 2014 9 C h i l d ca r e : B i s h a n c d c Compliments MA ART THERAPY CLINICAL PLACEMENT 4 June 2014 Dear Ms Alice Chua, I am writing to extend our gratitude and appreciation for hosting an art therapy placement at your workplace and for kindly supervising our MA Art Therapy student Chen Yishan Amanda. The placement is a vital component of our Programme and indeed to the overall growth, development and experience of our students. Through practice-based learning our aim is to develop competent, professional and ethical art therapists that successfully integrate best-practices and international standards into their services. June Holidays at Bishan CDC By Rebecca Au During the June holidays programme, the children at Bishan CDC explored the theme “Children of the World.” They learned about different cultures around the world and their respective food, costume and way of life. It was an enriching experience for them as the children uncovered a different world and learnt to appreciate these differences in the process. Additionally, an art programme was introduced to encourage children to explore their artistic talents. During these sessions, the K2 children created beautiful artwork featuring different costumes of children from around the world. The June holiday programme excursions had to be postponed to the month of July due to an outbreak of Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease at the Centre in June. Nevertheless, the children’s day at Kidsmaze at SAFRA Toa Payoh was filled with much fun and laughter as they expended all their energy on the playground, which challenged their fine and gross motor skills. On a separate occasion, they also had an exciting time making pizza at Doughworkz, Pastamania at NEX. The well-trained staff gave an interesting talk about the history of pasta and demonstrated pizzamaking. The children were each given a piece of dough to make their own personal pizza, and their creativity flowed as they created interesting patterns with the ingredients. With the children all dressed up in their chef hats and aprons, they looked very much the part! Every plate was licked clean and they enjoyed themselves greatly. During their next outing at the Science Centre, the children had a ball exploring the nature exhibits, which featured robotic animals and insects. They also learned about the properties of water in an unconventional manner as they splashed about in the water at the WaterWorks Park! We can hardly wait for the next school holiday now! 10 Jul - Sep 2014 • ywLink “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” Romans 12:1 We greatly appreciate all of the support, guidance and mentoring that you have provided as this also benefits all those clients receiving art therapy. ... We welcome any comments or suggestions that you may have on how best to improve our services. Once again, thank-you for assisting the continued development of art therapy in Singapore. Most Sincerely, Ronald P.M.H. Lay, MA, AThR, ATR-BC Programme Leader, MA Art Therapy Programme Faculty for the Creative Industries, LASALLE College of the Arts 1 July 2014 Dear Mr Ravi, Thank you for your email. The comment about the bed and pillow was not really a complaint, more an observation. Thank you very much for the wonderful stay that myself and my group of former British Army schoolchildren had for our 50th anniversary reunion. You were very tolerant of a noisy bunch of over excited veterans!! If I ever return to Singapore I will certainly stay at the YWCA again. With regards, Lynne Copping 30 June 2014 Dear Gladys and Alice: Thank you for organising the Italian Pasta and Baked Pasta cooking sessions for our Care Club children and youths at YWCA Youth Centre on 19 June 2014 (10:00am to 12:00pm and 2:00pm to 4:00pm) during their June School Holiday. Please kindly convey our gratitude to the rest of the YWCA staff and volunteers who participated in the cooking session. ... We are encouraged by your support in our effort to touch more lives. ... Once again, thank you for your contribution. Grace and peace, Christine Tan Executive Director, Prison Fellowship Singapore Announcements Welcome on Board The YWCA is pleased to welcome new staff to the team. We welcome Lim Chian Hung Janice as Para Educarer at Ang Mo Kio CDC; Shahmardani Shireen Rentoy as Teacher and Lee Lek Hui Dorothy as Principal at Bedok CDC; Villagracia Angelli Vapor as Teacher at Bukit Gombak CDC; Li Weina as Attendant and Diaz Mariedel Francheska Castro as Teacher at Bishan CDC; Noor Ferina Binte Feroz Albasrawy as Para Educarer, Su Jinghua as Language Teacher, and Veronica Kashmir as Principal at Jurong East CDC; Liu Kun as Language Teacher and Ye Hongmei as Attendant at McNair CDC; Lim Xiu Li as Principal, Chua Su Wei as Senior Teacher, Yuan LiangMei as Language Teacher, Yu Xiaoling as Attendant cum Cook, and Sim Si Jun Lisa as Para Educarer at Marine Drive CDC; Navas Rheysan Marie Sison as Teacher at Outram Kindergarten; Zhang Aqian as Language Teacher and Low Seck Kiang as Para Educarer at Pasir Ris CDC; Wu Peili as Language Teacher at West Coast CDC; Chua Ling Long Christina as Admin Officer at CPA; Latha Nagarajan and Oh Boon Chin as Learning Support Teachers at ESU. At Fort Canning Lodge, we welcome Gunasegaran A/P Ramsamy as Technician, Natalia Bhakti Tjondro as Banquet Sales Executive, Sin Wai Leng as Accounts Executive, Lu Jie as Purchaser Cum Cost Officer, Tay Siew Hong as Reservations Executive, Iskandar Bin Mohamed as Guest Service Officer, Wang Jeremy as Duty Manager, Patrick Leong Yek Ming as Guest Relations Assistant, Prasannah A/P Balakrishnan as Room Attendant, and Buenaventura Simon Juanito as General Manager. At the National Office, we welcome Liu Xiajun as IT Administrator and Stephanie Hung as Corporate Communications Executive. “Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Psalm 23:6 ywLink • Jul - Sep 2014 11 S p o t l i g h t : M s E v e ly n Y e o A dedicated member of the YWCA Board, Ms Evelyn Yeo has been volunteering with us since April 2011. She has over a decade of experience in external/internal audit and finance. Ms Yeo is a regular face in the Audit Committee and has sat in the Membership & Programmes, Projects, and the Young Adults Committees too. How do you come to be involved in the YWCA? When one of my friends was approached by the Centre for Non-Profit Leadership (CNPL) for a volunteering opportunity with YWCA in April 2011, she thought it would be something I would be interested in given my Christian belief. At that time, I was transitioning to a new role in my ex-company that would give me more time in Singapore. I was then looking to spend some time on more meaningful pursuits outside of work. When Mrs. Ma and Mrs. Leung shared about YWCA’s focus on the elderly, women and children, I thought this was a good organisation to volunteer with as its causes resonate with my interests. What made you interested in such community work? I came from a working-class family. Although we didn’t have much, my parents always found ways to generously share with others. The Christian and traditional values they inculcated in my brother and me kept us down-to-earth. Especially my mum who helped us see that there would always be someone less unfortunate than us and we would find joy in looking out for others than to focus on oneself. When I was growing up, there were also more opportunities for social mobility if one was equipped with a reasonable level of ability and was willing to work hard. However, I recognise that Singapore today presents a different environment. Although there is still a big focus on meritocracy, not every child has the opportunity to start from the same point in the Singapore race. It is heartening to know that there are children-focused charities in Singapore which provide support to help meet their basic needs and give them a leg up. I would love to be more involved in the activities with direct interaction with the beneficiaries, but unfortunately, because of my work commitments, I am unable to do so. The alternative is to volunteer using my professional skills to support an organisation whose values I’m aligned with. What have you learnt from your experiences in the YWCA so far? Working and laughing lots with the other volunteers keeps one young! On a more serious note, the commitment of the ladies who have spent many years volunteering with YWCA is admirable. Interacting with these ladies from different backgrounds gave me insights into the different perspectives and approaches different people bring to the table to address issues. It is also energizing to witness the drive and dedication the YWCA staff take to their planning and execution of the many community projects. It is also an interesting experience to volunteer with YWCA given the exposure to both the social needs of society as well as learning about how a social enterprise is run. I was involved in the Projects team when I first started volunteering with YWCA; it gave me a better understanding of the current social issues and the needs of certain segments of society. On the business side, having come from a different industry, it is also an eye-opener to learn about the day-to-day challenges faced in running the Lodge. Could you share what are some things/issues that really tug at your heart? Despite the wealth Singapore has amassed in the last few decades and the accolades it has received globally, there are still pockets of society which may not have directly benefitted much from the country’s economic development. Paradoxically, this has also given rise to new social issues, e.g., increasing divorce rates, fractured family relationships, etc. While the government has taken steps to address these needs, there may be some who fall through the cracks. The good work carried out by many charitable organisations in Singapore helps to provide another layer of safety net for them. I am grateful for the opportunity to volunteer with YWCA which has a number of initiatives to meet such needs, e.g., the YWCA House (Girls’ Hostel) established in 2013. How do your family/friends feel about your contributions to community service? Talking to family and friends about the work YWCA does has increased their awareness of the organisation and the societal issues the organisation is trying to address. Some have also expressed their interest to identify and take on volunteering opportunities, whether with YWCA or other organisations. How would you like to influence the world? In the recent century, there are many revolutionary ideas and advancements which change the world. While cutting-edge technologies can help make the world a comfortable place, the human touch is still something that makes a difference in someone’s life. I believe, however small one’s contribution may seem, it is still a positive step taken in the right direction to make the larger society a better place. On a personal note, I hope to be able to encourage others around me to contribute back to their communities in their own ways. 12 Jul - Sep 2014 • ywLink “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9