A Passion to Make a Difference

For 69-year-old Mdm Lee Mong Yiew, her first experience with Kaki Kampong Senior Wellness (KKSW) of Lakeside Family Services was as a programme participant. Having personally benefitted from the programmes, and recognising the positive impact that it had on seniors, Mdm Lee decided in 2016 to step up and become a regular volunteer.

 

Prior to Covid-19, Mdm Lee used to volunteer as an escort to fetch seniors with dementia to KKSW to join in activities such as “Communal Dining”. She shares that it was a very fulfilling and memorable experience as she felt a sense of accomplishment in being empowered to help and bless others. “It taught me to appreciate and cherish life more as I witnessed how others suffer and go through hardship,” she says.

 

Ever since the pandemic, however, the centre had to take a break from organising in-house activities. Embodying an agile mindset, Mdm Lee, was quickly able to deploy her passion for volunteerism into other activities and picked up new skills to facilitate this. She moved on to help out in facilitating KKSW’s Happy Hour Zoom programme, supported by the Council for Third Age (C3A). The programme sees seniors come together online via Zoom to sing oldies, learn new skills, play games and share stories about their lives.

 

Mdm Lee played a crucial role in reaching out to seniors during the circuit breaker period by teaching them how to use Zoom, so that they can continue to stay connected.

 

Even though she did not know how to use Zoom herself prior to the pandemic, her resilience and willingness to learn enabled her to rise above the challenges and become a positive influence to her community. Mdm Lee said, “After learning from my daughter how to use the app, I was able to go on and encourage and teach other seniors to download Zoom and join in the online programmes.”

 

As an active volunteer, Mdm Lee is always keen to gain new knowledge and skills that equip her to be a more effective volunteer. In October 2020, she attended a National Silver Academy (NSA) course ‘Be An Effective Volunteer’ workshop conducted by RSVP Singapore.

 

When asked about what drives her passion for volunteerism, Mdm Lee replies that it was just something that came very naturally for her. “I have always been someone with a ‘soft heart’. I guess it is something innate as I tend to have a strong sense of sympathy and compassion towards others who need help, and often feel motivated to show kindness towards them,” she says.

 

“Generally, I do not encounter many challenges as I am quite an easy-going person. However, if I do come across difficult people, my approach is to listen to their views and give them the respect they deserve. I believe the best way to deal with them is to simply show them love, patience and gentleness,” said Mdm Lee.

 

Despite being a full-time caregiver to her husband who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease a decade ago, Mdm Lee pursues her passion in volunteerism and hopes to continue doing so for as long as she can. Years of volunteerism has rewarded Mdm Lee with friendship, joy and a sense of accomplishment in life.

 

In Mdm Lee’s own words, “I have gained many positive things by volunteering and giving back such as developing more compassion and patience towards others and in return receiving love and friendship from staffs and other seniors. Volunteerism has enriched my life and eased feelings of loneliness. I wish for others to gain these valuable experiences as well.”

 

If you would like to be a volunteer like Mdm Lee to help others, kindly contact Ms Joyce Wong via phone: 6817 4187 or email: kkseniors@lakeside.org.sg.

 

**If you would like to be a volunteer like Mdm Lee Mong Yiew to help others, check out the various volunteering opportunities available here.

 

Source: Lakeside Family Services. Reproduced with permission.