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Spotlight :
All Saints Home (Hougang) Connect with Us
NPOs who wish to connect 14
Want to volunteer? 14
9 Calling for articles 15
Voices 15
From ESN Chairperson 3 Spotlight 9
About ESN 4 Feature Story : 10 Share a story
A Starfish Story 5 Interview with Moi Moi A Starfish Story 5
ESN Carnival 2009 6 Notice Board 14
Subscribe to us for event updates
Announcements Editorial 15 The debut issue
and future issues of ESN Times
ESN Networking Camp 8 Interview with Jeslyn Tan 16
Agency
2 Open House 8
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rom per
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3
Who we are We officially became a volunteer work group
under Volunteer Circle of National Council of
The Elderly Sector Network (ESN) is a non- Social Service in 2004. In 2006, ESN went
profit, non-religious gathering of volunteer independent and formed a management
leaders & representatives from various elderly committee to identify more areas of
related VWOs (home or club based), coming cooperation. Our policy is non-interventionist
together to tap on combined manpower and and participating volunteer groups can
expertise, in the areas of benefit by leveraging on the combined
(1) volunteer training & development, resources, expertise and manpower in the
(2) networking, network, which are often scarce for volunteer
(3) event management and groups operating on their own.
(4) resource sharing
Origins
Synergy in action
The origin of the group can be traced to the
Volunteer Networking Camp organised in ESNians share the belief that through
1998. Networking began when a group of networking, synergy is created which will
camp participants from several VWOs initiated bring about greater benefits for the
visiting each other at their own agencies. beneficiaries in the aged homes and senior
citizen programmes in Singapore. Our group
The visits further led to exchanges of hope to raise the awareness of volunteerism
skit/singing performances. From then, a in the elderly sector, in addition to providing
platform was established which facilitated opportunities for interaction between elderly
sharing of ideas/experiences among several from different agencies, between elderly and
elderly volunteer agencies. volunteers, and between volunteers from
different agencies.
It’s all about sharing
About ESN
4
A Starfish Story
adapted from The Star Thrower
by Loren Eiseley (1907 - 1977)
Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his
writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.
One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a
human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone
who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up.
As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what
he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the
shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean.
He came closer still and called out "Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are
doing?“
The young man paused, looked up, and replied "Throwing starfish into the ocean."
"I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?" asked the
somewhat startled wise man.
To this, the young man replied, "The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't
throw them in, they'll die.“
Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, "But, young man, do you not realize
that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile?
You can't possibly make a difference!“
At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into
the ocean. As it met the water, he said, "It made a difference for that one."
We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But
the ocean would be less because of that missing drop. --Mother Teresa 5
ESN Carnival 2009
An annual gathering of fun, laughter, friendship and love
The Inter-
Inter-Agency Carnival is the brainchild of Lim Shao Guang,
Guang, ESN committee member, also a
volunteer of Moral Angels. First started in 2007, its main objective
objective is to provide an afternoon of
beyond volunteering experiences of fun, food, joy and company to the ah gong and ah ma by
the combined efforts of volunteers.
Individual volunteer group manpower are often challenged and organising meaningful funfairs
and carnivals are usually beyond a single volunteer group capacity.
capacity. Combining volunteer
strengths from all participating agencies, we managed to bring together
together 175 elderly from 12
agencies, with 15 games and food stalls in the carnival on 5th Sep 2009. Minds MYG volunteers
and beneficiaries also joined us in bringing a dance to the elderly.
elderly. Many thanks to the principal
and staff of Yishun Junior College who has been so supportive in providing venue and and
manpower for this event!
ESN Carnival 2010 will be here soon, keep a lookout for notification
notification if you would like to bring
your elderly beneficiaries to participate in the carnival or if you wish to help out in the event.
Check out Blog entries: Pandemonium at the ESN Carnival (2009) ESN Carnival 2009 in Yishun JC
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ESN Times
Mahjong Matching Game
Food Glorious Food
Participant for
Singing Competition
Furthermore, transporting the residents from the home to the venuevenue of the event is no easy feat either, as it
calls for volunteers and nursing staffs to cautiously carry each individual resident onboard the chartered
buses. I have forgotten the number of times I felt utterly dejected
dejected when I saw residents at ASH, such as auntie
Puay Lin succumbed to morbid pessimism due to inactivity from the confinement
confinement to her bed.
Events such as the ESN Carnival provide them with the opportunity
opportunity to venture outside the home and
preoccupy their minds with activities. Thus, despite the strenuous
strenuous amount of planning and coordination, the
volunteers at ASH will always strive to ensure that the maximum possible number of residents from the home
could attend events such as the ESN Carnival…”
Carnival…” - Fum WeiZhong,
WeiZhong, ASH volunteer
ESN will kick start Networking Camp 2010 on 31st July 2010. The main
objective of this camp is to infuse sense of bonding as a community
community of
volunteers, to promote sharing, interactions and learning among
volunteers, as well as to groom the potential volunteer leaders.
y O pe n Ho us e 2010
A g en c
Date: 18 August 2010 (Wed) 7- 7-9:30 pm
Venue: Henderson Aged Reachout Programme (HARP)
Blk 129, Bukit Merah View, #01-
#01-150
The agency open house is conducted once a year where a volunteer
group hosts volunteers from other agencies, while carrying out their
routine service. The objective is to create opportunities for exchanging
ideas on weekly activities, events/outings organizing and volunteer
management.
AOP 2010, HARP invites other
volunteers working in the
eldercare sector to their
clubhouse for a night of games,
singing with the elderly at
Henderson area.
8
SPOTLIGHT
I shall pass through this world but once. Any good therefore that I can do or
any kindness that I can show to any human being, let me do it now. Let me not 9
defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again. --Mahatma Gandhi
INTERVIEW with Moi Moi
Everybody can be great because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to
10 serve. You don't have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You only need a heart
full of grace, a soul generated by love. --Martin Luther King Jr.
Little gestures of love
Moi Moi started volunteering in 1996. With a simple motive to help others, she joined Lion Befrienders
during a Monthly Orientation Talk at NCSS and was assigned to help out with the volunteer group
caring for the elderly in the Kreta Ayer area, which subsequently evolved into the current group she is
volunteering with now. In 1997, she readily became a volunteer leader of the group. To her, it was a
super short learning curve. She recalled in the early days how she had to use a typewriter to type out
the elderly list for the house calls as she was not computer-proficient then.
Besides the weekly house-calls, the volunteer group also organised regular stamp-cutting activities,
handicraft sessions, birthday celebrations, festive celebrations, outings etc. The volunteers also visited
the elderly when they were hospitalised or when transferred to nursing homes. Before the Chinese
New Year, the volunteers also helped the elderly in spring cleaning.
Besides the regular activities, there were many times when the volunteer group was faced with
dilemmas in situations, especially when the elderly are sick and helpless, and are unable to take care of
themselves…
11
An emotional struggle
There was a wheelchair-bound Indian elderly who was under the volunteer
group’s care. This Indian elderly was frequently bullied by the flatmate and
conned of his money. When Moi Moi found out the dire situation of this
elderly, she wanted to do something for this elderly who could not take
care of himself and steer him away of further harm inflicted by his flatmate.
They went about finding a nursing home for this elderly. It took them
sometime before they found a suitable home for him.
However, nearing the days before his move to the nursing home, the elderly became withdrawn
because of the attachment to Moi Moi and the volunteers, and the fear that he might not see them
anymore. “I know you don’t like me and want me to go … I know what to do …”, the elderly cried. It
was a moment of struggle for Moi Moi and the volunteers ... For fear that the elderly might do
something silly, on the night before the shift, Moi Moi carefully kept all the knives and sharp objects
and made sure the windows were all fastened before going home, though with an unsettled heart.
The next day, the volunteers rushed down and escorted the unwilling elderly to the nursing home. It
turned out that after 2 months stay at the nursing home, the elderly adapted well and thanked Moi Moi
and the volunteers for helping him out and that he was happy with his new home where he is very well
taken care of.
Moi Moi recalled once when she was running the flu, and one elderly got to know about it when she
was doing her rounds. Before long, the elderly came back with a special concoction and brought to
Moi Moi in a porcelain bowl with feebly hands and ask her to drink it. Moi Moi was very touched by the
incident. Another elderly helped to massage her hands when her hands were feeling sore …
Though these are simple acts of kindness, it shows just how much
the elderly cared for her, perhaps in return for her good deeds, but
perhaps more aptly, this is reminiscent of deep kinship, albeit it is
between people who are virtually unrelated.
There were many incidents when elderly passed away that Moi Moi
and her volunteer group helped to take care of the funerals.
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Challenges in volunteering
When asked whether she has at any point (in her close to 15 years of
volunteering) wanted to give up on volunteering, Moi Moi reflected
that it is the deep relationships with the elderly and volunteers that
keep her going. She shares that it is important to manage your time
well, take care of one’s family first and find a balance point so you will
have peace of mind when you volunteer.
Volunteering has changed her life, from which she found new energy and motivation, to help others
around her, especially the elderly for whom she feels that they are often forgotten or misunderstood
by others.
In our forever ‘progressing’ and meritocratic society, where everyone is constantly caught in rat
races, forever justifying for higher ranks or bigger pay packets, when even high ranking staff of some
charitable organizations are soliciting for their own gains …
It is indeed a humbling experience to see simply a dedicated volunteer (without a single cent), who
spent countless hours volunteering and ‘contributing’ love in her own little ways to people totally
unrelated to her, without asking for any return. Isn’t that the most fundamental ‘ingredient’ in
making Singapore a more humanistic and caring society?
Moi Moi has inspired many others in her simple down-to-earth ways, ‘get your hands’ dirty approach
to help the needy elderly. Her ‘concept’ is simply that the elderly or beneficiaries will sense it if you
do it with a sincere heart with love.
13
Notice Board
rking
Volunteer Netwo rcare
vo lunt ee r grou ps working in the elde
We welcome management
tw or k w ith us to share the volunteer to
sector to ne
pe rie nc e, particip ate in ESN events or
ow-hows’s’ and ex ect with
‘know-
lu ntee rs fo r ou r training programs. Conn
send your vo
us!
om
ctornetwork@gmail.c
Email us at elderlyse
s are also
from other sector
Volunteer groups e on
e to ne tw or k wi th us too. We can shar
welcom ow-hows’s’ to
be ne fit s of ne tw or king and the ‘know- e
the fo r the sector you ar
ni ng fu l ne tw ork
form a mea bers!
ee rin g in . It’
It’s al l ab out strength in num
volunt
Volunteer Recruitmen
t
Calling for volunteers
- get your friends, relat
classmates, colleagues ives,
to join you.
Whether it is cookin
g for Elderly / Befrien
Gardening / Karaoke ding /
/ Handicraft / Hair-cu
Stamp-cutting/ Musica tting /
l Therapy / Taiji / Mah
Festive Celebrations jong /
etc or you can even
your own activity to create
bring joy to the of
forgotten elderly in ou ten
r society.
Email us at elderlysec
tornetwork@gmail.co
we will link up with yo m and
u immediately on a su
volunteer group near itable
your home!
14
EDITORIAL
Calling for articles ne great
are ma ny vo lun tee r gro ups out there who have do
to
There
or wo rking wi th eld erly beneficiaries. However,
jobs in serving amount
a reg ula r ne ws let ter to document requires huge
put up
of effort and time.
share :
prov ide a pla tfo rm he re for volunteer groups to
We
nces by your
we lco me sto rie s of memorable experie and
We
ou p, int rod uc tio ns of your volunteer groups
volunteer gr ganised
ac tivitie s or ev en ts yo ur volunteer group has or
special and
your pen and
, do not hesitate, pick up
for your beneficiaries etc .com
erlysectornetwork@gmail
send in your articles to: eld
issues of ESN
ESN
blished in the following
Selected articles will be pu
Times.
able
lik e to ou tre ac h to mo re people who may not be
We would able
are able
in En gli sh . If the re are volunteers out there who
to rea d us
th tra ns lating ou r news letters to Chinese, do drop
to help us wi
an email too!
Voices
Share with us your
thoughts or voluntee
experiences - your fir ring
st experience at an
home, some voluntee eld erly
r you would like to th
making your day at vo ank for
lunteering, someone
taught or shared somet wh o has
hing meaningful with
you ...
Keep your notes to
about 100 words. Se
notes will be publish lected
ed in the following iss
ESN Times. Let’s hear ues of
from you!
Email us : elderlysecto
rnetwork@gmail.com
15
ESN Times
INTERVIEW with Jeslyn Tan Lay Har
Jeslyn is our first external volunteer trainer. I am a full time First Aid Lecturer, my main job is
When we first started and was looking for a to conduct first aid training to the working
trainer to help us conduct first aid training for adults on the management of injured when
our volunteers, Jeslyn willingly took up the role accident arises. Also very involved in
without asking for any renumeration.
renumeration. conducting first aid examination including
course coordinating and assisting in
Since 2004, she has helped conduct many administrative work.
workshops for ESN. We are grateful to her for
helping to equip many volunteers through the In what areas do you volunteer besides helping
years with basic CPR and first aid skills. ESN in carrying out basic first aid training?
Email us : elderlysectornetwork@gmail.com
17
Volunteer groups who are particpating in ESN events
or networking with ESN
All Saints Home (Hougang)
All Saints Home (Tampines)
The evergreeners at Brighthill Evergreen Home
Heartwarmers at Christalite Methodist Home
Henderson Aged Reachout Programme
Moral Angels at Moral Home
Kreta Ayer Volunteer Service Group
Joy Gathering at Singapore Leprosy Relief Association
Sree Narayana Home
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