Everyone can give
Find out how you can be part of this national movement to give back to society.
You don’t need super powers to be a hero. To the residents of an old folks home, you are already one when you volunteer your time to bring smiles to their faces. To the abandoned animals at a shelter, your contribution towards their pet food supply would make you a champion many times over.
But beyond volunteering your time at a soup kitchen or dropping spare change into donation cans, there are other ways to give back that will surprise you. Giving Week can point you in the right direction.
Starting today till Dec 5, take your pick of events and activities that best matches your interest. Organised by the National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre (NVPC) and supported by the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, Giving Week involves non-profit organisations, individuals and corporations across Singapore working towards a city of do-gooders.
Giving Week is part of the global movement #GivingTuesday, where people give back during the holiday season, and ends on International Volunteer Day which falls on Dec 5.
EAT FOR A GOOD CAUSE
People are motivated to give to different causes. But when it comes to food, that’s something everyone can get behind! And you’ll want to check out the various food-and-beverage outlets that have come onboard for Giving Week, which starts today and ends on Dec 5.
One of them is Unlisted Collection, an umbrella brand responsible for such unique boutique hotels and restaurants in Singapore as Hotel 1929. Its participating eateries – Esquina, Pollen, Library, Cocotte, Majestic Restaurant, Majestic Bay, JING, Cheek by Jowl, The Market Grill, and Salted & Hung – will be donating S$1 for every dessert sold to the Rainbow Centre's Building Rainbow Dreams, Brick by Brick campaign.
Funds are being raised to extend the Rainbow Centre's wing at Margaret Drive to serve 350 children aged six years and below in the Early Intervention Programme, and 130 students aged seven to 18 years in the Special Education Programme. The new wing will also house the head office, its training and consultancy unit, and a new special student care centre for 50 students. Click here for more details.
Even food portals like halalfoodhunt.com are in on the giving game. This website, which recommends halal-certified or Muslim-owned food places, has rounded up nine merchants to submit a dish per restaurant during Giving Week.
Halal restaurant Charco’s The Flaming Chicken, for instance, whets appetites and the desire to do good with a set that lets you sample all of Charco’s barbequed meats for S$19.90; S$3 from each order will benefit Project Goodwill Aid. Click here to find out more.
Click here to find out what other restaurants let you eat and do good at the same time.
PLAYING FOR GOOD
Here are some highlights from the Giving Week that are worth blocking your calender for. Some of the events continue till next March.
Timbre Charity Drive
When: Today till March 2017
Where: Timbre outlets
Fee: Free admission
If you’re meeting friends tonight for after-work drinks and dinner, why not head over to Timbre? You’ll be helping needy children receiving medical treatment at the National University Hospital’s Department of Paediatrics. Diners are encouraged to round up their bills to the nearest S$10 and the difference will go to charity. Furthermore, Timbre Group will match every dollar raised towards the target of S$100,000. The campaign will run till March 2017. Click here for details.
Learning in the Dark
When: Dec 2, 7pm to 9pm
Where: NVPC, The Central, #04-88
Fee: S$25 per person
How do you tell a S$2 note from a S$10 one if you can’t see? How do you use your other senses to help you navigate your way around? Experience this world with the help of visually impaired guides at this workshop by Etch Empathy. Created to instill empathy through the use of multi-sensory experiences, the workshop lets you experience how the visually impaired overcome adversity and also let you learn about their hopes for the community. Click here for details.
Exploring Singapore for a Cause
When: Starting today
Where: 12 various trails
Fee: Free
Similar to LocoMole, an app filled with interactive walking routes for you to explore the country, Exploring Singapore for a Cause (ESC) launches today with 12 trails that are based on the original LocoMole trails by Singapore Management University students.
Download the app onto your mobile phone and as you walk, the app will let you read charming stories about each destination. In the process, you can earn “donations”. Here’s how it works: Corporate donors who have adopted the trail you’ve covered will pledge donations to match your walking accomplishments to an associated charity. Click here for more details.
SEND A THANK YOU CARD
Got an everyday hero in your life you’d like to thank? Express it through a hand-written note. Even better, pick up one of these free Thank You cards that are available in Comfort taxis, UNIQLO stores, community centres, several food-and-beverage outlets, malls, and hospitals. And thanks to SingPost, the cards have free local postage for the entire month of December.
To find out more about Giving Week or how you can be part of the movement, visit givingweek.sg or follow them on Facebook and Instagram via the hashtags #GivingWeekSG and #CityofGood.
Produced by the TODAY Special Projects Team.
