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Bag a Bargain: The Singapore Red Cross Thrift Stores

4/22/2018

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Everyone loves a bargain and Singaporeans are no exception. The Singapore Red Cross Thrift stores are a bargain hunters dream come true! And every dollar spent helps to support the Red Cross in their disaster aid and relief efforts throughout the region. A win-win we say!

Piqued your interest? We promise you it’s rewarding, fun and something everyone should try at least once!

The Singapore Red Cross operates two thrift stores, one at 62 JalanKhairuddin and the other at 15 Penang Lane. Both of these offer new and pre-loved merchandise and at almost unbelievably discounted prices.

I spent weeks volunteering at the Penang Lane Shop and was asked to work on Mondays or Wednesdays or both. During the course of my days I saw newly received merchandise sorted, priced and stocked on Mondays. On Wednesdays from 10am to 4pm the store is open to the public and volunteers such as myself, helped customers locate items, try on clothes or shoes and bag or carry purchased merchandise.
Think volunteering needs a lot of time? As a volunteer at The Singapore Red Cross one is not required to stay for the entire day but simply to help out as long as one can. There’s also a $5.00 stipend to pay for lunch.

Most of the merchandise itself is new and donated by shops and stores in Singapore. When I was working there in January, a shipment of branded women's tops from Macy's arrived. All were priced at $1. Dozens of pairs of new women's shoes also came in and were priced at $1 per pair. Now that is a bargain!
In addition to clothing and shoes, the store also carries small kitchen appliances and dishware, costume jewellery and sunglasses and many toys and stuffed animals for the children.
The permanent staff members are friendly and very helpful so there is no need to be nervous or to feel awkward about coming in to help.
​​If you’ve got bargain shopping on your mind, head there soon or better still, give a part of your valuable time as a volunteer! If you are interested in volunteer opportunities at the Singapore Red Cross Shop, visit the expatgiving website or just click here to fill out a brief application. Giving back and scoring a bargain - what’s not to love!
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Shoppers showing off their purchases at the Geylang store.

Author

Brian Worrell

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What does volunteering really mean for the local community?

10/27/2016

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There are many articles to be found online extolling the benefits of volunteering in your free time. How that fundraising bike ride across Cambodia will give you a new experience and a sense of achievement. How spending one evening a week at the local food shelter will broaden your mind and bolster your cv. How volunteering as an expat will help you give something back to your host country. But, what does this actually mean to the local community. To the people on the ground?

Teach a man to fish
As expats, whether we have moved to Singapore for our job, for our loved one, or for the adventure, many of us bring years of professional knowledge and expertise, university education, vocational training, teaching experience, transferable skills, or skills that we have developed from our own hobbies, like sewing or computer literacy. Proverbs aside, your interests and abilities could have long-term implications for individuals and for society as a whole. By volunteering as a facilitator to help students to write, edit and read aloud their own poetry, for example, you could help teenagers and adults find their voice, and believe that their thoughts and feelings are valid and worth expressing. This, alongside improved English language and presentation skills, could have life-changing benefits for at-risk populations in Singapore and Cambodia.

Individual and community empowerment
Much research has come out recently about how volunteerism helps give us a sense of purpose, makes us feel good about ourselves and improves our mental and even physical health. But, actually, this can be a two-way street. Acting as a big brother or sister to children and adults with physical and mental disabilities, whilst volunteering as a side-walker during therapeutic and rehabilitative horse-riding therapy, for example, could be an important part of someone’s recovery journey. You could be helping to improve motor coordination and mobility, increase confidence, and even combat depression.

An extra pair of hands
Often, offering your time for free helps restore balance to a work force. Volunteering to help with food storage and packing in a food bank, for example, could mean that you are helping another member of the team to free up their time and actually get out and deliver the food to a family service centre, soup kitchen or school with children for low-income families. You are actively helping to redistribute the time, energy and tasks of the team so that, ultimately, the charity can reach more people who need their help.

The same can be said for fundraising activities. That cycle ride through Cambodia that you’ve always fancied doing to raise money for improved water sanitation could help prevent more child deaths per day from diarrhoeal diseases. It could even improve attendance rates amongst more girls who often miss out on their education due to the lack of a clean and safe toilet.

It makes you feel good to read about how much of an impact you can have by volunteering, doesn’t it? Perhaps, volunteering can never be a truly selfless act, but does it really matter? The point is that you are helping people, you are connecting with your community and you are giving back.


The volunteer roles described in the above article can currently be found on Expatgiving:

Facilitators - Writing Through
http://www.expatgiving.org/volunteer-positions/category/writing-through

Side-walker - Riding for the Disabled Association of Singapore
http://www.expatgiving.org/volunteer-positions/category/rda-singapore

Warehouse assistant - Food Bank
http://www.expatgiving.org/volunteer-positions/category/foodbank


Author

Emma Nobes

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Affecting change: one good deed at a time

3/12/2016

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Volunteering is one of the most integral parts of society. It encourages individuals to stand up, and affect change no matter how big or small it may seem.

We at Expatgiving, admire the commitment and passion our volunteers contribute to different non-profit organisations they are involved with. One of the volunteers we have recently been in touch with was Freddie of Cycling Without Age.

Originally from London, Freddie moved to Singapore in August 2015. Despite having a busy schedule with his full time job, Freddie decided to start working again with charities and nonprofits. He used to volunteer with Alcohol Awareness Committee and WWF when he was attending university back in the UK.

Many, if not most, expats find it hard to find ways to volunteer and work for a cause. Freddie was able to find a volunteer position that matches his background in information technology through Expatgiving. He now volunteers for Cycling Without Age as their Webmaster and has since helped in designing and updating their Singapore website.

“It’s always nice to feel that you can give back. I’ve been fortunate enough to study to the stage of getting a degree and a Masters.. and this has given me the opportunity to help a lot of people. If I can do that right here, give back to people, I feel like it’s not just something I can do but more of a duty…”

​Volunteering for non-profit organisations may sound like a daunting task. But there are a number of positions you can sign up for even if you have a full time job. At the end of the day, it’s not about how much you can give; what is important, is the willingness to reach out and give back - one good deed at a time.
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Celebrate the Season of Giving in Singapore

12/15/2015

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Christmas is about giving – not just gifts for family and friends, but also your time. What better way to get into the Christmas spirit than to volunteer for a cause with one of the many organisations that need help during the holiday season?

  • Fancy wrapping Christmas presents? Signup to be a gift wrapping volunteer with Love for A Dollar, funds raised will be for Singapore Red Cross, Food from the Heart and Home Nursing Foundation.
  • Be  a Bell Ringer for the Salvation Army´s Christmas Kettle Appeal and support their social programmes for the less fortunate.
  • The Food Bank is looking for warehouse assistants who can help with food storing and packing. Bring food to everyone this holiday season!

Choose gifts that support charitable causes. In case your Christmas present shopping list is lacking inspiration, here’s our pick:

  • For a unique Christmas tree this year, take a look at the ornaments from Riverkids, they are handcrafted by women and families supported by Riverkids’ house of healing.
  • Sending out greeting cards will never get old. RDA Christmas Cards and Bizlink’s Greeting Cards have a number of unique designs available to choose from.
  • Lotus Culture has a catalogue of products sewn by Cambodian women who are survivors of human trafficking and sex slavery. ​
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5 Ways volunteering can help you find a job

7/31/2015

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After giving up my great job in the UK to move to Singapore for a new adventure with my boyfriend, I assumed it would be fairly straightforward to find a new job here and settle into normal working life quickly and easily.  However, for various reasons, it took me 6 months to find a full time job, which was about 5 months longer than I had (naively) anticipated. In between my days spent applying for jobs, writing and re-writing my CV, meeting with recruiters and interviewing, I managed to find time to volunteer. I had always been involved in various volunteer activities in the UK so wanted to continue this on while in Singapore. Aside from being a generally fun and fulfilling thing to do in your local community, I genuinely believe that my volunteer experience was one of the factors that helped me to finally land my job, and here are five reasons why:



1) Fills gaps in CV/Resume

I was only out of work for 6 months, but I was consistently asked in interviews ‘what have you been doing with your time?’ Volunteering gave me a great talking point and I was able to clearly demonstrate how I used my ‘free’ time wisely and effectively.


2) Network Building

There is a lot to be said for meeting a person ‘in the right place at the right time’. Volunteering enabled me to be regularly interacting with like-minded individuals, and I would often find myself meeting people who knew someone at the company I was applying to, or meeting someone who was already working in the field I was trying to get into.


3) Opportunity for career change and exploration

If, like me, you haven’t quite yet found your ‘perfect job’ but are also aware that hopping from job to job can have a negative impact on your career, then volunteering is a great way to try out different types of job roles or industries. For me, it was a case of needing more relevant and recent experience in a specific skill, so I found a volunteering role that enabled me to learn and develop that skill.


4) Helps you to integrate with local community

Being new to Singapore, meant that employers were sometimes ‘concerned’ with my potential lack of local knowledge or lack of experience in Asia. Therefore, volunteering meant that I could help to ease these concerns by demonstrating my local knowledge, connections and experience gained through volunteering.


5) Employers value people who volunteer

Most companies have some form of core value that surrounds charities and giving back to the community. Therefore, volunteering shows that you also hold these values in high regard. Personally, Volunteering also shows that you are passionate, hard working and dedicated by nature; 3 of the key words that are often written on resumes with little proof to back it up!

If you are currently looking for a job, or looking to gain new skills, or just want to try something new within your local community, then please visit our volunteer’s positions page here to find out more. You never know what it could lead to!
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Get positive using your skills and creativity with volunteering

9/17/2014

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Coming to Singapore as an expat is a great experience! There is a lot to discover and explore but things can be tough and challenging as well. They say that Singapore is an easy starting point for expats, but in reality there is so much offered, you have no idea where to start.

When you have made a compromise with your partner to give up a full-time job back home, you find yourself having much more of this “free time” to over-think than you ever had before. While your partner and kids have a schedule to follow and a routine to keep them occupied, you are faced with the problem of figuring out what to do with your free time. You are given the luxury of time, the question is, “how do you make good use of this free time?”

In these moments, it’s great to make use of your valuable time and  be a part of a social organization where you can use your skills and be able to do something good for the society. These social organizations or non-profits give you the opportunity to be creative and come up with great ideas, and implement them on the spot! These non-profits will encourage you to come up with innovative ideas to help others.

Let me give you a nice example of what I have experienced.

I started living in Singapore at the beginning of this year. After reviewing alternatives to spend my time wisely, I started volunteering for HOME. HOME is a local non-profit organization that supports migrant workers who are having disputes with their employers. They offer all kinds of programs and workshops for domestic workers who are staying in the  shelter they  provide. Although they are being cared for, these women hardly have any activity outside their shelter. They live in the shelter for weeks or even months/ years  while they wait for their cases to be resolved.

I realized that they are stuck in a difficult situation and can use some help from someone who can make things seem a little brighter for them. I was already working as a trainer for “Mom in Balance” where I teach energetic outdoor workouts for pregnant women, women who have just given birth and mothers who want to be in shape again. So a great idea was born: bringing these women to East Coast Park for workout sessions every week.

The first time we went to East Coast Park was unforgettable. It was great to see the expression on their faces when we reached the beach and they felt the wonderful breeze from the sea. At first, they felt a bit uncomfortable with the exercises but they loosened up after a couple of minutes. They were able to relax and forget their worries and problems for at least an hour.

They love the experience and that gives me a thankful and positive feeling every week!

Suzan Grootscholten
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When will we eat right?

5/30/2014

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Heeru, our guest blogger, recently attended one of the NKF cooking lessons as a volunteer. Here’s how she describes her experience:

“Eating right with our fast paced lives seems to be an ever growing challenge. We try again and again yet at the end of it we get so tempted with all the yummy foods that we give in and end up eating something that is not necessarily the best for us. Today, everything we eat is so loaded with salt, sugar and oil. Many times we don’t even know what is in what we eat. We can enjoy the tasty unhealthy food as long as we are healthy…But what if that changes? What will meal time be like then?

One of the most challenging experiences for the past week was cooking for the National Kidney Foundation. Even as a trained food technologist, this required a lot more preparation than I initially thought to ensure what I presented was not only nutritious, but safe for kidney patients to enjoy. ‘Why’ you may ask. Well a lot of what is recommended for us as healthy adults is actually not good for them. Did you know they have to restrict water intake? Even some leafy greens are not recommended for them because of the high levels of potassium. Suddenly, it seemed that a lot about what I knew about healthy eating was not going to work for the cooking class. But I knew exactly where to start: I asked for help! My friend Sheila and I figured that since kidney patients have to restrict water intake, they probably could not enjoy one of Singapore’s local delicacies: "Steam boat".

So, we created a "Waterless Steamboat". The only seasoning we added was a teaspoon of soya sauce. The rest were fragrant vegetables like lotus root, red and green peppers and cauliflower. What I loved about it was that it only took 30 minutes to make. I have to admit it was a lot different that the regular steamboat all of us are used to, loaded with salt and seasonings. However this is not to say the waterless steamboat tasted bad, that could not be further from the truth. It was just lighter in flavor and a lot more focused on the natural flavors of the vegetables. The meat and vegetables were sweet and succulent, a good change from out salty diet. It was not completely dry either. Many of the vegetables released their own juices and helped flavor the rest of the dish. The secret was to use a stainless steel pot with a lid to retain the heat allowing the vegetables and meat to cook slowly and nutrients to stay intact.

Everyone had a chance to try it. The program coordinators had lots of wonderful comments about the dish. Some patients took to the idea as well that they did not have to give up this prized dish despite their current condition.

Overall, a morning well spent educating myself and the wonderful kidney patients about cooking healthier and eating well!”

By Heeru Murjani

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Tortilla and gazpacho for a good cause

4/3/2014

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A few weeks ago the Expatgiving team was invited to participate in one of the activities organised by the National Kidney Foundation of Singapore through their volunteer programme ‘Circle of Hearts’. The aim of the programme is to inspire kidney patients to rise above their adversities so that they can lead a better quality of life. 

They told us about the enrichment programme, a cooking demonstration where volunteers explain, prepare and share a dish or two with dialysis patients, so that they learn about different (and healthy!) cultures of food. 

We were immediately interested to participate in this activity…and extremely glad we did! It is amazing to discover how easily you can make someone’s day just by dedicating a couple of hours of your time to cooking for a good cause. 

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So, being both of us Spanish, we decided to make two of our favourite dishes which happen to be super healthy and vegetarian: tortilla and gazpacho (aka cold tomato soup). It was a huge success and you can find the proof below. 

If you would like to contribute to this amazing initiative, please read more about the programme in this link and get in touch with the National Kidney Foundation now.

Happy cooking!
​
Victoria

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