Volunteerism, What It Means To Me

Recently, someone that I was going after had asked me to give up volunteering for the community. Upon hearing that, I decided that this lady will not be suitable for me and I just told her after getting her message that she felt that I am not the type of guy that he is looking for.

Some of you who have known me just not too long ago may not have heard the story about what prompted me to take up a deep passion in volunteering. Little did I expect that it would garner me with so many awards and accolades that I did not expect to win. So here is my story.

When I was in primary school, I needed the school janitor's herelp to carry me to the toilet to my toileting business till I was 9 years old. My grandma and later my maid had to accompany me to school till I was 15. I decided to venture to go to school on my own after that. I am always fortunate till today as bus captains that I met in my usual commutes to school and work would either get fellow commuters to give up their seats for me, or they would use items to reserve seats for me. Some of my friends during my school days at Ngee Ann Polytechnic will know that most of the bus captains on Service 74 are very friendly & caring towards me. This is still happening today.

When I was in NS, although I was bullied into submission by some officers during my stint, I was particularly thankful to 3 officers. The 1st one exempted me from wearing the uniform, the 2nd one would always pick me up from my place in the morning and drive me to the army camp. The 3rd one exempted me from reservist duties.

Finding a job was especially tough for me as prospective employers refused to hire me due to my condition. I was fortunate that my previous boss & current boss had not minded my condition and hired me. I am extremely thankful to be given the opportunity to shine, especially my current boss. This explains why I have been here since 2008.

In 2005, a volunteer opportunity presented itself . IRAS was partnering with RSVP & People's Association to bring tax filing closer to the community. As my ex-firm did not have many personal tax clients at that time, I decided to try it out for fun. I found myself  enjoy helping people to file their taxes using my knowledge, thus I just continued on till its cessation in 2015. In the process, I made new friends with similar passions and they encouraged me to join the grassroots in 2011 and Pioneer Generation Ambassador in 2015.

After doing so many years of volunteer work, I can see that there are still some gaps in the society that need to be filled. Me as a solo person can only do so much. =(

I guess this is my way to pay it forward for all the help that I have received.