Everyone can play a part in fund-raising
The Business Times
Sep 11, 20155
ACCOMPLISHED paralympian and Stage 4 leukaemia survivor William Tan successfully hand-pedalled for 50 hours on the last weekend of August. Besides consuming liquids and having a five-minute break every hour, Dr Tan didn't eat or sleep throughout the duration of the challenge. He did this to help needy children, and to celebrate SG50 and his entering his sixth year of cancer-free living.
Why would anyone in his right mind want to subject his body to such torture? To add to the already demanding challenge, the sun was out, blazing. Joggers pacing Doc around the track of Temasek Junior College (TJC) in Bedok had to walk instead. Some beat a hasty retreat to the shade.
It was essentially a two-person fund-raising project. Doc was responsible for the physical challenge, and I did the fund-raising. Reaching out to my network of business and personal contacts, family members and people that most Singaporeans would know of (and who do not know me), we managed to meet the S$50,000 target set by Doc.
The hard work, sleepless nights and additional stress I experienced in the few weeks before the event was worth it - as the money raised will go towards The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund, the Rotary Club of Bugis Junction's Children in Need Fund, and Care Corner Orphanage Foundation in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
It is a different case for Doc. He achieved an incredible feat that most able-bodied people might not have come close to, or even think of doing. Did the S$50,000 commensurate with the physical demands made on his body? The answer is a resounding "no".
One simple comparison is fund-raising through golf games. Such events can easily raise hundreds of thousands of dollars. And all the participants have to do is play golf!
However, looking at things from another perspective, it was a wonderful thing to do to help those in financial need as it made every dollar raised that much more precious.
I've always held the view that the purest form of giving is to share a part of our body. This is my motivation for being a regular blood donor.
Helping the needy
Singaporeans generally respond to calls to help the needy - one recent example is the father who had to have his limbs amputated after eating raw fish. Within a relatively short period of time after his plight was posted on Facebook, quite a substantial (relatively speaking) sum of money was pledged by well-wishers.
We received financial donations from the rich and famous in Singapore, the part-time house cleaner, and even a young German boy who deposited all his savings into the donation box when he came by to support us. A couple of donations in kind were also received.
On the flip side, some turned down our appeals, saying they had already spent their budget on SG50-related activities. Ironically, this was precisely the reason why I had approached them - hoping for their empathy. On the other hand, TJC students supported us in between their classes and examinations, and two of them even came back and paced Doc for about three hours in the early hours of Saturday morning.
The experience shows that there are plentiful ways one can be involved in fund-raising efforts - besides writing a cheque. If I had thought of it, I would have tried to invite a couple of celebrities down to the TJC track, and to share this via social media - and, I am quite sure, hordes of fans would have followed suit. And if everyone had donated just S$2, we would have quite a tidy sum of money for the children we are helping.
From another perspective, we should be careful not to focus too much on the dollar value of our efforts - there is a fine line between striving to achieve our financial target, and becoming obsessed with it. Focus instead on the value every donated dollar can bring. So, for S$100, for example, one can support a Thai child for an entire month, taking care of her food, lodging, studies and basic living needs.
If we relate S$100 to the S$50,000 target, it seems relatively insignificant. However, if we take the latter view, then it is supporting one child for one month. The impact is definitely different.
Perhaps, Doc and I should organise a charity golf tournament next.
Paul Heng is the organising chair of the "50/50 @ TJC" fund-raising event. Those interested in donating to the three children-related charities can e-mail paulhenght@gmail.com
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