Service Learning at Toa Payoh

And so our journey began on an early Saturday morning, 4th April 2009.

Many of us may not have the habit of cleaning up our own rooms and yet we chose to volunteer our Saturday morning to help in cleaning up the homes of elderly folks living in the Toa Payoh Residence.

‘I want to learn to step out of my comfort zones and try out activities I have not attempted before, rather than remaining stagnant within this circle’ - Vivienne

Armed with rags and detergents, we went off to the respective homes and got down to work. It was definitely not an easy job !

‘As some stains were difficult to clean away, it can be seen that the houses of the elderly were not being cleaned regularly. Despite that, with teamwork and a little more perseverance and determination, we saw the magic that took place in the 4 to 5 houses and that gave us a strong sense of satisfaction!’ - Valerie


To our own surprise, we realised through this one-room flat cleaning that we could work extremely well as a team and could find a friend in one another! We also got the chance to listen to the stories of the older generation and hence, from there learnt valuable lessons, as both Delaila and Zu Mei recounted. ‘No doubt it’s a tiring and exhaustive job but at the end of the day it made me reflect on my behaviour towards caring for my own grandparents.’ - Delaila

‘Learn to appreciate what’s around you.’ - Zu Mei

We encountered a few uncomfortable situations such as having to wash really dirty toilets, clearing up garbage which has been accumulated for some time in the homes, scrubbing floors which had stains that were there for a lone time and thus harder to remove. It was indeed heartening to see everyone taking their own initiatives to help and offer assistance! This made each individual’s workload lighter and we were able to work fast and efficiently.

Of course, we had a little bit of fun getting to know each other in the course of cleaning up.
Every challenge we managed to overcome bonded us more as a team.
It was indeed an enriching, albeit challenging, experience, one that ‘cannot be described as you have to go through it to understand how enriching it was.’ as Zhao Loong rightly puts it.

Good job friends!

Chess Club to All Saints Home

On 27th February, the Chess Club as well as some members from the CCC went to visit the residents at All Saints Home. They spent 2 hours interacting with the old folks. This may seem like an easy task to many but without the ability to speak in dialect, this activity is definitely challenging! Let's find out from Chess Club how they felt after the activity (:

" I felt more enlightened after going through this activity. In the past, I took my happiness for granted." - Andre Lie

"I feel that what I did was not enough and I need to contribute more." - Leslie Lim

"I felt sad for the elderly and the importance of knowing dialect to communicate with them." - Alan Pang

I believe that our visit there have made their day Alan. (: Just a smile would be able to make someone's day. Guess what? Even a touch can make them feel good, really!

So, readers out there, here's a tip for you! If you are not able to communicate with the old folks when you are on a home visit, just smile at them, shake hands and perhaps give them a back massage. ;) Its the thought that counts. Now, its time to catch the Chess Club members in action!

Judging from the photos, I am sure the Chess Club had an enriching experience and enjoyed their session at All Saints Home. Overall, the members have applied the college's value of Selflessness and Respect during the activity. See you in the next entry!

AVA to East Coast Park

AVA club went to East Coast Park on the 31st of October 2008 to help pick up thrash and litter. In doing so they helped the National Park Board and also kept the environment at certain parts of the beach area clean.

Thats a lot of hardwork... I wonder what the members have got to say!

"We had fun doing it as it was an enriching experience. " - Larry Wong

"There was much value in what we were doing." - Jun Wen

" I hope that many others will follow what we did. " - Joel

Keep visiting the CCC's blog to check out more community service that SRJCians get involved it.

A quote to share...

"Service to others is the payment you make for your space here on earth." -Mohammed Ali

Soccer to Sunlove Home!!!

The Soccer team visited the intellectually disabled at Sunlove Home on 19th November 2008. They interacted with the patients there by helping the disabled recycle headphones as well as carry out a series of performances. They applied the college's core values of Active, Selflessness, Perseverence, Respect and Enterprise for the activity. Let's check them out!And of course, not forgetting their reflections after their activity....

"This was my first experience at an Old Folks Home and I felt we did a fantastic job. I have learnt not to take things for granted and be satisfied with what I have now." - Daniel

"I have learnt to not only be active in my CCA but also towards the society. After watching how much the patients enjoyed our performance and the way they rushed to shake our hands, I realised that many of them crave affection. I have learnt to treat my parents and relatives with love even when they grow old." - Lewis

"I feel a tremendous sense of achievement after this visit to Sunlove. I am very proud to have contributed back to society and I will remember this day forever. If given the chance I will want to do this activity again in the future. I will also encourage others to visit elderly homes as a form of Community Involvement Project (CIP)" - Anthony

Woah you guys sure enjoyed your activity! Community Involvement Programmes do raise awareness about the needs of the society. You can only learn about the needs of the community when you serve them.

There are more to community service than just home visits and shaking hands with old folks. Check out what other activities you can do to serve the community in our coming entires! (: