Mdm Wong Yoke Mooi has been a regular volunteer at MFTNH since 24 July 2004. She is a very patient and committed volunteer who spends many happy moments with the residents. Her very pleasant and simple, down to earth countenance adheres her to one and she greets everyone readily with a huge smile even after a long day’s work!

Mdm Wong accompanies destitute residents for their hospital appointments and befriends them readily. She is very prompt with her appointments and very responsive to last minute calls for assistance. She assists all residents irrespective of race or religion, and is very comfortable despite language barriers. She is calm, patient and ever willing to help and never complaints of being tired or that our residents are uncooperative. She even buys food and drinks for the residents if they complain of hunger or thirst when out with them and refuses to be reimbursed!

She also volunteers for special events like Flag Days and sometimes even for kitchen chores!

Jin Bin has been an active volunteer with Man Fut Tong Nursing Home since 2005. He is presently working in the Republic of Singapore Navy as an officer, dealing with the Engineering and Logistic aspects of the organisation. Currently, he is attending a course and will be posted to the Missile Gun Boat in July as a Weapon Electronics Officer. Please click her to read what Jin Bin is saying?

Hi, I am Jin bin and have been volunteering at the Man Fut Tong Nursing Home since the last quarter of 2005. I was then in my final year in Nanyang Technological University searching online for a social service provider for a project. As I was browsing through the National Council for Social Service website, I came across the MFTNH website through which I got to know more about the Home.

It had been quite sometime since I wanted to do something meaningful in my life. While I was enjoying myself outdoors, I knew that there were others not as fortunate as me. I deemed it worthwhile if I could give up some of my free time for them instead of lazing around. I also felt I would be more comfortable interacting with the elderly. So I decided to chose a Nursing Home to volunteer for.

I registered online with MFTNH and started my first volunteering session. I was given a warm welcome from the Volunteer Development Department took me on an orientation session and brought me around the nursing home. My first contribution as a volunteer was the transfer of volunteer details into the computer database and handle data entry assignments. Through these few experiences, I realised that there are various options for volunteers to help out in Nursing Homes.

The MFTNH organises many outings for their residents and one that I joined was the trip to Sembawang Park. It was an enjoyable trip for the residents judging from the smiles on their faces – the best reward that one could get! We not only interacted with the elderly, but also assisted in loading and unloading of wheelchairs. This trip made me understand the important role of volunteers.

I also had the opportunity to accompany a resident for his medical appointment at the Singapore National Eye Centre. It was a fruitful outing as I got to interact with him while traveling there and waiting for the doctor. I could keep him company and also be an interpreter for the medical staff and him. I believe all these little gestures help to remove the loneliness and fear that he had for the visit.

Last but not least, I would like to share my recent participation in the Flag Day. During the preparation phase, I assisted in calling up volunteers to inform and recruit them for the event. On the morning of the actual day, I participated in selling flags. In the evening, I helped out with the residents who were stationed at Orchard road to raise funds together. Though tiring, it was a fruitful day.

There are many areas one can volunteer in an organisation. This is evident from the wonderful experiences that I have had. Each of us has different talents and interests and we could contribute in the area where we fare the best. That will surely make volunteering much more fun and beneficial to others!

Hi I am Tan Yang Zi, our class – 07S21 of National Junior College had been looking for something meaningful to carry out as part of our Community Involvement Project (CIP). It was then that Mr. Franics Lee Seng Ken of Woodlands CC’s Youth Executive Committee, recommended that we participate in the MFTNHs Flag Day fund raising project on 20 June 2007.

The 22 of us were distributed between at Jurong East and Bugis, working in shifts from 8.30am to 7.30pm to reach out to a wider range of the public. Whatever apprehension and awkwardness we initially had over approaching strangers for donations rapidly melted as we got acclimatized to the repeatedly frustrating ignorance of our presence by passers-by. We realized we had to gather courage and ask them for donations if we wanted to make any significant contribution to society. And so we did by making the first move in approaching them instead of just standing and smiling waiting for them to make the first move. We also split up into smaller groups to cover a wider area, giving up the enjoyment and sense of security that came with moving together in a big group.

Collections were not as good on a weekday office hours as human traffic was low on the road, but shifts at lunch time and after-work had better collections. All of us had to give up a few hours on our exam revision time to participate in this activity but nobody was disgruntled. In fact they were enthusiastic. It was a welcome initiation into community work, and for many of us who had done CIP before, it rekindled in us the satisfaction in doing community service.

We were more confident and comfortable with ourselves and aware of the hardships faced by other volunteers when participating in street collections. We will not ignore them anymore if they ask for donations. Though sweaty, tired and exasperated at the end of our shift, a quick check revealed that we all felt more than a little proud of ourselves for having contributed to society in our own small way, in the midst of frantic Common Test revision, nonetheless.