Volunteer with SCH since September 2024
I began volunteering at The Singapore Cheshire Home, not knowing what to expect. Sure, I’ve had plenty of volunteering experience before. Still, nothing prepared me for the challenges, lessons learnt, and treasured memories I made over the past year being a regular befriender of the Home.
As this was my first time interacting with persons with physical disabilities, I initially struggled to get acquainted with them. As some residents have speech impairment, it was difficult to fully comprehend them and what they were trying to communicate with me. However, with time and patience I got to know them and understood their body language. It now feels like we’ve known each other forever.
One of the most memorable moments in the Home was helping to move the residents while the building was under renovation. Being granted the permission to enter their personal space allowed me a closer glimpse into their daily lives. I learnt that the residents position their necessities in a certain manner for easy access and is cautious about not cluttering the area where the wheelchair needs to be within reach. As a physically abled person, these are the little things I don’t have to worry about. It made me realise how much we took our bodies’ abilities for granted. Despite their struggles, the residents still lead a happy and fruitful life, as we recollect the beautiful memories made in the Home through old photos and journal entries.
My experience at The Singapore Cheshire Home was certainly most unique and fulfilling. I will forever remember the days when I facilitated the crafting and baking sessions that helped the residents hone their motor skills, the meaningful conversations I had in the afternoons, the mouths I fed during dinner time, and the smiles we exchanged from simply saying “Hi”. Volunteering is not just a way for us to fulfill our service obligations or pass our time, but rather about the friendships we forge and the impact we make – no matter how big or small, to the community that needs us most.
