On Sunday, January 19th 2014, some members of Specialist Dental Group’s team decided to dedicate their morning to lend a helping hand to needy families in Chai Chee community. This is part of the One Community 2014 initiative to assist in making every Singaporean’s home, a clean and proper home.
There were different activities involved in One Community 2014 and these included food distribution, food donation and spring cleaning. The SDG team was assigned to spring cleaning that day. From this experience, we realized that some residents living in the community are either immobile or incapable of taking care of themselves, much less cleaning up their own abode.
Spring cleaning duties involved pest control management (which was done by professionals), dusting and moping areas of the house, and painting a new coat of paint on their walls and gates.
Here we were all ready with our mops, brooms and painting brushes to get started! The team could not wait to get involved and took charge of heavier duties like painting, to give their homes a fresh look and a more refreshed ambience. Albeit being the only guy in the team, Dr Neo was the most structured in the team and gave us directions on how to get things going. Proof that a guy can do housework and do it well!
Dentists, nurses and staff all came together with high spirits that morning, excited to visit and make new friends in the neighbourhood.
We were dispatched to clean up two units in the same block. Here are Dr Eide and Charlene who took time to pose with their rollers for the camera amidst their duties!
There were a total of 651 volunteers from different walks of life to join One Community 2014 initiative, and they came to repair, clean and paint each needy family’s home. Rice, food products and basic home furniture were also provided.
Having completed our volunteering project that morning, many of us truly felt the impact on how team work can strengthen a community – by contributing and developing our environment in a joint effort. It was rewarding, emotionally and spiritually. It also built bonds within the team and across our communities.
We hope to inspire more people to come forward and help the community. Have you made your resolutions for the New Year? If you have not, or even if you have, why not add volunteering to your list? 🙂
