It was pretty successful back then. One of the projects we did was to organize a Telematch + Party on Children's Day for HELP. HELP stands for Help Every Lone Parent, an organization dedicated to offer assistance and support to children from single-parent families. For most of these kids, their mother or father has either passed away, or serving time in jail for some crime or drug abuse.
I rounded up 8 people from Fairytales, who had to take leave from work just to do this. Their enthusiam was extremely admirable. It was tough work coordinating the entire event and keeping the kids entertained the whole day from 9am to 5pm, but it was absolutely fruitful and gratifying. When the kids hugged and kissed us after the event, all of us were touched and happy beyond words.
There was another time when another group of chatters was activated to paint the classrooms in the school for the Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore. We had so much fun because in the midst of painting the walls, we were splattering paint on each another as well!
The chatters from Fairytales never fail to offer their help, whenever there is a need. Besides giving their time, they were equally generous with their money. They were more than willing to contribute when I was raising money for the School Pocket Money Fund to help kids who needed money to go to school.
Fairytales is not only a chat channel where we hang out and interact, but also a platform for the chatters to meet and have fun in more meaningful ways than watching a movie or having a meal.
Over time, Fairytales became less active. Some of the chatters left because they got attached. Some got enlisted into the army. Others were busy with their studies and exams. As for myself, my workload increased and hence, I have less time to manage the channel.
Looking back, I wish I had done more to keep the spirit of volunteerism alive. Often, it is easy to use time, or the lack of it, as an excuse for not offering our help. I believe if I have time to blog, party, watch a movie, or hang out at Coffee Club for hours with friends, then I do actually have time to offer help to people who are less fortunate.
Hence, I would like to revive Project Faerytales - through a brand new medium. My Blog.
Though this blog was not set up for this purpose, I believe it could be a good avenue to start what I have done before. Through this blog, I have made some new friends. Like the chatters from Fairytales, most of you stumbled upon my world, not knowing who I am.
Over time, you got to know me better through my musings and ramblings. Through it all, you stayed and visited regularly, something which I've never expected when I first started blogging. I have always thought that nobody would be interested in my life, but you guys have proven otherwise. Knowing that many of you are reading this blog, every day, moves me deeply. And knowing that I may have a chance to influence you through this blog, gives me hope. :)
If you are reading this, just know you are already part of Project Faerytales by being here. Any kind of help that you can offer, no matter how small, would be equally valued and appreciated.
The first task at hand I have for Project Faerytales is to raise funds for the victims of the South Asia's deadly earthquake. According to the latest reports, the death toll has reached 79,000. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has warned 10,000 more children could die from hunger, cold and disease in coming weeks because aid has still not reached parts of quake-hit Pakistan. Millions of people are still homeless.As winter approaches, many more would die from the cold as they camp out among the debris with only the clothes left on their backs. Many are still in need of medical treatment. Survivors, especially the kids, could face the risk of hypothermia as winter snows begin settling on mountain peaks.
Everyone of us can make a difference. Your contribution will help provide things like food, water, blankets, medicine, tents and other critically needed items.If you are willing to contribute, I would urge you to pledge any amount from S$50 onwards. However, no contribution is too small so I would still collect any amount of money that you can offer. I would also like to encourage you to help me raise more funds by asking your friends/family to contribute.
Kindly leave me a note or email me if you are keen to help. If you have collected money from friends and family members, please help me take down their names so that we can document each and every contribution.
I'd arrange a time to meet up with each of you to collect the money, or arrange for bank transfers, if you don't mind. 100% of the money raised will be given to Worldvision, a Christian relief and development organisation working for the well being of all people, especially children.
You can click on the following links for more information.
www.worldvision.org
http://www.worldvision.org.sg/media/current_disaster.html
If any of you has strong objections on Worldvision, do let me know. I can arrange for all contributions to be sent to the Pakistani Embassy instead.
For those of you who are participating in this very first Project Faerytales, I thank you all from the bottom of my heart. Every little offer or help counts.
" We can't help everyone, but everyone can help someone." - Ronald Reagan
1 comment:
The world is not fair; we try to make it equal.
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