Three Generations of Volunteers Show It’s Never Too Early (Or Late) to Give Back

While volunteering is undoubtedly a selfless and worthwhile task, some view it as nothing but sacrifice and gruelling work. But donating your time and talents to others in need can be its own powerful reward.

Meet Jeanette, Madam Marlina, and Uncle Wong. These three Singaporeans from different walks of life have each found a way to give back to their communities and discovered fulfilment in the process.

Time is not a measure of impact

Jeanette volunteering at Project Sort It Out. Photo credit: Youth Corps Singapore.

During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, Jeanette Chai was a bored teenager looking for something fun and meaningful to do with her free time. She chanced upon Youth Corps Singapore and found her interest piqued by their bite-sized volunteering opportunities — short, flexible community service events. 

So, she signed up for her first volunteering experience, A Walk Around Kampong Gelam. During the event, she explored the Malay Heritage Centre and learned about the culture and history of the Malay community in Singapore. 

“I remember being a bit nervous because I didn’t know what to expect, but the team was really friendly and welcoming. By the end, I felt so inspired that I immediately started signing up for more opportunities to volunteer,” she shared.

Jeanette (leftmost, in black) as a Volunteering Coordinator for the Wonder & Wander event at the Istana. Photo credit: Youth Corps Singapore

By doing ‘bite-sized’ volunteering with Youth Corps, Jeanette was able to give back in a way that easily fits into her schedule. Switching up tasks also offered new takeaways, kept volunteering exciting, and enabled her to learn more about herself. 

Through activities such as playing coding games with children to walking in nature, Jeanette discovered she enjoyed working with people and leading groups. As a natural next step in her volunteering journey, the 19-year-old decided to become a Volunteer Coordinator.

“Volunteering has made me more empathetic and aware of the different challenges people face. It’s helped me grow as a person. I’ve become more patient, confident, and open-minded. I’ve also met so many amazing people and built friendships I wouldn’t have made otherwise.

If you want to volunteer but don’t have the time, know that you can start small. Even a few  hours make a big difference!”

Change can begin at your doorstep

Madam Marlina with the community fridge.

Charity begins at home, but in Madam Marlina Yased’s case, it started right outside her front door. In May 2023, the Lengkok Bahru resident decided to run a community fridge. 

“All my life, for over 40 years, I have experienced food insecurity. So I told myself if I had a place, I would open up a store where people can come and just take whatever they need,” Madam Marlina explained.

After speaking to her neighbours, she realised many were struggling with food insecurity too. Although there were organisations that helped, there was a gap between getting approved for and receiving food aid.

So, she moved a refrigerator donated by Beyond Social Services into the shared corridor. The goal of Healthy You & Me @ Lengkok Bahru was to provide emergency rations to ensure no one goes hungry in her neighbourhood.

“In the beginning, I could only help about 20 families. To maximise the amount of food I can put in the fridge, I would go across the border with my husband to buy groceries.”

Since then, the ground-up initiative has grown to include a team of dedicated volunteers and a partnership with Give.Asia. The community fridge has been upgraded and moved downstairs. It now supports up to 50 families, focusing mainly on households with children. 

“I'm constantly thinking of better ways to improve my neighbours’ living conditions. You can learn a lot by simply speaking to them.”

Madam Marlina and her volunteers restocking the community fridge.

Recently, Madam Marlina started another project, the Emergency Response Team. The project engages young people who live in Lengkok Bahru to patrol their neighbourhood and keep it safe. 

The youth are equipped with walkie-talkies and report suspicious activity so that it can be dealt with by the community elders. Through the Emergency Response Team, they learn how to take ownership and build a sense of responsibility.

By being inclusive and deliberate with how she connects with her community, Madam Marlina has become the change she hopes to see in her community. 

If you want to help but don’t know where to begin, she just has one piece of advice: just “do first, talk later.”

It’s never too late to contribute.

Uncle Wong pulling an espresso shot.

独一52 (dú yī wú èr) is a cafe located in Goodlife Makan, a community kitchen by Montfort Care that sits in the void deck of 52 Marine Terrace. The cafe is named after its address and is a wordplay on the Chinese phrase for “one of a kind”. What truly makes the cafe unique is that it is run on a donation basis, with our senior volunteers taking up the role of baristas.

Behind the counter, you will find Uncle Wong, 71, flexing his latte art skills. Not only does the retiree clock in shifts at the cafe, but he also conducts in-house barista courses for corporate events. 

“I can do at least five latte art designs. I can do a heart, a rosetta leaf and a cat, and even 3D latte art designs,” Uncle Wong shares proudly. 

Uncle Wong with his freshly made latte.

He has been volunteering with 独一52 for a year and a half and has been enjoying it. But becoming a barista was a happy accident. 

Uncle Wong initially joined Goodlife Studio (Marine Parade), one of Montfort Care's active ageing centres, after his wife encouraged him to sign up for hulusi (葫芦丝, also known as the

gourd flute) classes. It was only after that that he discovered the many other activities offered at Goodlife Makan, such as coffee making and pickleball. 

“I’m a homebody and used to doing things on my own. Now, my social circle has grown. I'm very happy because I've got many friends.” 

Over time, he has become an active participant in giving back to his community. He has initiated day trips to Johor Bahru for 41 seniors. As the original hulusi teacher left the centre, Uncle Wong is looking for another instructor and interested participants for the traditional Chinese wind instrument programme. 

When he realised the cafe had few customers, he looked for ways to draw people in. He figured it was because older folks do not know much about specialty coffee, but he found them to be a ready audience. So, he is thinking of setting up an open stage and bringing in singers to liven up the atmosphere.

“Volunteering has given me a little more confidence and an avenue to reach out to people. But I still like my alone time to recharge because I'm an introvert,” he adds.

For as long as he can, Uncle Wong hopes to volunteer. He welcomes young people to do community work at the centres. To other seniors, he wants to share that volunteering doesn't have to be difficult. 

“My friend, Ramesh, is a senior that goes to many different centres to find out what they do. You can do that too and you will surely find something up your alley or learn something new!”

Giving back to the community can be done in various ways and at any age. For volunteering opportunities, check out giving.sg.