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In the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic, SMOU embarked on various volunteering initiatives to share and give to the vulnerable and affected groups of people in the community. The impact would, however, be impossible without many of our SMOU members who responded to the call to volunteer and touch the lives of beneficiaries.
Over the last two years, a total of almost 70 volunteers came alongside SMOU at almost 15 corporate social responsibility outreaches, benefiting over 700 beneficiaries. Initiatives include food bento and care bag distributions to the elderly from senior homes as well as senior residents of the Jalan Besar community. SMOU also reached out to children from the adopted childcare centre My First Skool Jalan Sultan Centre by organising a virtual art and craft activity and providing school essentials and distributing care packs to frontline workers at the start of the pandemic.
As a gesture of appreciation to volunteers who have set aside time to join SMOU in social outreaches during the challenging period, the Union prepared a little token for them.
Akhil Agarwal, an SMOU member of 2 years, said, “Giving back to society was the main reason to volunteer, and the inner satisfaction during the outreach is the driving force.”
He also encouraged others to take time to care for and share with others, saying that “the sheer joy one receives on seeing the happy faces of (beneficiaries) is divine.”
Benjamin Yip, a member of 5 years, has volunteered at three outreaches across the past 2 years despite being an active seafarer. He said that the spirit of volunteerism was instilled in him since he was young. Naturally when he joined SMOU, he gravitated towards social outreaches. On why he continues to do it, Benjamin expressed, “It is only right that we help those that are in need. It is what makes us a society! This is especially more so during a pandemic where more help is needed.”
Another volunteer, Joshua Asogan, an SMOU member of 6 years, said that after volunteering at the start, “I realised that the work we were doing, however small to us, was making a much bigger difference to those receiving it. That is what motivated me to continue volunteering whenever I could.” He thanked SMOU for the volunteering opportunities and remarked, “It is very reassuring to see how the organisation has adapted to operate social outreaches during these difficult times.”
‘Caring and Sharing’ is one of SMOU’s core values, and the experience of doing so can be a very rewarding one, as we look beyond our own needs to make an impact in someone else’s life. SMOU is encouraged to see that more members are stepping up to volunteer so that the union can continue to do more for the community and make a difference in the lives of the vulnerable.
SMOU Volunteer Mailing List
Interested in volunteering with us and being updated on future SMOU volunteering opportunities? You may sign up here, to be part of our SMOU Volunteer Mailing list: https://bit.ly/SMOUVolunteerMailingList
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