Every one of us can impact another person’s life – if we are willing and
available.
THE husband and wife team of Jeffrey Tan, 72, and Lee Ah Nee, 69, are retired
civil servants. Since last year, they have been spending their Saturdays helping
autistic children to bake pastries.
“We volunteered because we have the time and energy to help. God has blessed
us and it’s a joy to give back to these children,” says Tan. “I’m lucky to have
a supportive wife, otherwise I would not be able to sustain this for long.”
He explains that it was difficult to understand the children’s needs at
first. “By showing respect and love, and gaining their trust, we reached out to
them eventually,” says Tan.
“We understand the problems these children are facing and we try to bond with
them as a family. Different children have different needs. We have to know them
better to be able to help them. Some need one-to-one attention,” adds Lee.
The couple enjoy their volunteer work at Calvary Victory Centre (CVC), a
special education centre with over 100 autistic children and 25 teachers at
Sutera Utama, on the outskirts of Johor Baru. They help out weekly at CVC, and
are happy that they get to meet many people and utilise their time well.
Joy in serving: Expat wife Katherine
Robinson is a volunteer teacher for underprivileged children at Calvary Welfare
Centre in Johor Baru. ‘(The children) were teaching me how to still be happy
despite having hard lives,’ she says.
According to Wong Chee Kin, chairman of the CVC administrative committee, a
CVC Delights cafeteria was set up last year to help the children train in life
skills and also serve as a sheltered employment centre. The cafeteria is open to
the public and also offers catering services.
CVC opens its doors to students of all races and religions. Eight years ago,
Hazeem Md Yusoof joined CVC as its first Malay student.
His sister Yuhana Md Yusoof, 34, gave up her teaching job to look after him
and help out at the cafeteria. Their mother, Hasipah Abu, is a cook at the
cafeteria which only serves halal food.
“Before coming to CVC, my brother found it hard to manage himself,” says
Yuhana. “After eight years here, he has improved a lot. He has also helped to
attract more Malay and Indian students to CVC.” Yuhana now supports herself by
giving private tuition at night.
On Saturday mornings, Tan and Lee will be at the cafeteria, helping the
children prepare pastries. In the afternoon, they accompany the kids to Sutera
Mall, where CVC has been given a free stall to sell their pastries.
Tham Kok Weng, 65, finds it rewarding
to help kids with Down syndrome.
There are nice chicken pies, curry puffs, pineapple tarts, pai tee (pastry
cups filled with cooked radish), and blueberry cheese tarts which are hugely
popular with the public.
Tan enjoys his stint at the mall and is just too happy to raise public
awareness about autism by talking to those who visit their stall.
“There are only a few volunteers here; we need more caring hearts. We are
already old and do not know how long we can serve here,” says Lee.
Give and receive
Jessie Teh, 35, used to think that she would only get involved in volunteer
work upon her retirement. “But I’m glad I’ve done it now. It is never too early
to start,” smiles this financial consultant.
Teh wanted to volunteer after reading a verse in the Bible: “As we freely
receive (from God), so we freely give (back to society)” but she did not know
where to start.
“So I asked God to lead the way. Soon enough, somebody asked me whether I
wanted to help out with Down syndrome kids,” recalls Teh, who serves as
treasurer, administrator and tutor at Calvary Miracle Centre (CMC).
“Through my volunteer work, I’ve learnt to be more patient and contented. I
used to have high expectations of life, yet I see the children are so happy
despite leading such simple lives.”
Yuhana Md Yusoof (left) volunteers at
the Calvary Victory Centre for autistic children, where her brother Hazeem Md
Yusoof has been for eight years. Their mother Hasipah Abu (right) is a cook at
the CVC Delights cafeteria.
Teh used to coach her own children in their studies, but after she started
volunteering at CMC, she found that her children could study well on their
own.
“This is a blessing from God,” says Teh. Tham Kok Weng, 65, loves working
with children, so when this retired motor workshop operator was asked to help
out at CMC, he jumped at the chance.
Tham’s talent as a handyman is put to good use at the centre. He does all
sorts of tasks, from painting the walls and fixing electric lights to making
wooden frames for weaving mats. Every day, he sends four children from Kota
Masai, about 80km away, to CMC and back.
Tham has been teaching children in Sunday School since he was 19.
“It’s very important to build up children when they are young. I make friends
with children easily, I’m happy to see that the effort I put in has produced
results in hundreds of children,” shares Tham.
One of his former Sunday School students used to create a ruckus in class,
Tham recalls. “But when he grew up, he became a pastor and visited my church. He
told everyone that he was in my Sunday School class and how he had grown to
serve God. It is things like this that keeps me going.
Financial consultant Jessie Teh used
to think that she would only get involved in volunteer work upon her retirement.
‘But I’m glad I’ve done it now. It is never too early to start,’ she
says.
“Some parents do not know what to do with Down syndrome kids and just leave
them in one corner of the house. They may take months to learn simple things,
for example, how to use the toilet. Some children struggle to walk up and down
the stairs.
One girl walked backwards to go up the stairs. As volunteers, we see results
and changes in the children.” Just as he has touched the lives of others, so his
life has been touched.
Tham’s wife needed an eye operation at one time, but they were short of
funds. “Then one student I had taught years ago, who is now very successful in
life, offered to pay for the operation in Singapore which cost RM13,000.”
Needy kids
When Katherine Robinson arrived in Johor Baru two years ago to accompany her
husband, she found that expat wives were not allowed to work. “Instead of
spending my time shopping, I wanted to do something meaningful,” says
Robinson.
So she volunteered to teach English, Maths and Science to underprivileged
children at Calvary Welfare Centre (CWC).
“Even though the children attend school, there is no one to help them with
their homework,” she explains. “When they fall behind in school, they become
discouraged and give up on their studies. I’m delighted when I see children who
are discouraged, becoming happy and eager to learn. It makes all the difference
in their lives.”
Robinson has since returned to Canberra, Australia, to serve as a social
worker. “It was very hard to say goodbye after teaching them for two years. So
this year, when I have two weeks of holiday, I came back to teach them. Learning
is often a two-way process, The children have taught me how to be happy despite
having a hard life,” Robinson adds.
Laura Amos (right) volunteered to
teach underprivileged kids because she wanted to do something meaningful with
her spare time.
Another volunteer at CWC, Laura Amos, found that she had extra time on her
hands when she was transferred to Johor Baru, from Malacca, a year ago. Amos,
who teaches at SK Taman Sutera, wanted to do something meaningful for the
children.
“The richer kids can go for private tuition but the poorer kids have no one
to help them. That’s where I come in. I’m an ambitious, results-oriented teacher
and I want them to pass their UPSR.
“The kids need to feel loved and cared for. When someone comes to help them,
they feel excited. When they see me at the (government) school, they will ask
me, ‘Are you coming today’?” relates Amos.
“As a teacher, I want to sow good seeds in the lives of these children and I
hope they will do well in their studies. My parents gave me a good education and
instilled strong family values in me.
“I got a government scholarship to do my degree. In fact, my whole education
was free and I believe it is God’s blessing. Now it’s my turn to bless others.
Life begins when you start to give,” adds Amos.
Agnes Chow, the assistant manager of CWC, explains that children with
problematic backgrounds find it hard to concentrate. “In school, there are 40 to
50 students in one class and teachers cannot give individual attention to every
child. So the weaker students may fall behind.”
She recalls how one Chinese school was reluctant to take in students from CWC
because of their poor results. Besides, they had no money to donate. “Luckily
for us, some teachers from the school helped to get some of our kids into the
school,” says Chow.
Chow, a housewife, had volunteered for nine years at CWC before she joined
the team full-time as its assistant manager.
“The expenses in terms of food, rental and salaries for CWC’s 23 homes amount
to about RM200,000 a month. Sometimes I crack my head wondering how to get the
money but God is great and the funds come in somehow,” adds Chow.
