February 3, 2007

Overview

The objective of the event is to bring the elderly of Moral Home out for a shopping trip during the Chinese New Year festive season, and provide a wonderful and relaxing experience for the elderly. The venue is Giant Hypermart, Vivocity. The date is 3rd Feb 2007.

Summary

Venue – Giant Hypermart, Vivocity.

Date – 3rd Feb 2007

Time – 1pm to 7pm

Elderly – 26

Volunteers – 50

Committee Members – 12

Shopping Allowance – $20 per elderly

Dinner – Ah Orh Restaurant

Event Details

Registration of volunteers started at 1pm. A total of 50 volunteers and 26 elderly were divided into 4 groups, namely Yellow, Pink, Green and Orange. A color sticker tag was given to everyone for easy identification. Volunteers are paired up with a elderly to take care of throughout the trip.

A briefing was conducted by the event coordinator to highlight the objective of the trip, the schedule, and safety issues. This was followed by a demonstration on proper wheelchair handling. Shopping cash was handed out by the Treasurer to volunteers who will be helping to pay on behalf of the elderly. After the briefing, a short group discussion was conducted by group leader with their members.

At 2pm, elderly were helped by volunteers to board the chartered SBS buses. Sing along session was conducted to entertain the elderly throughout the journey.

The wheelchairs were transported in lorry by Logistics members. They did a good job in ensuring the wheelchairs were loaded properly, and arriving on time at the outing locations.

Upon reaching Vivocity, the group alighted at a public bus stop outside Vivocity. Elderly were helped by volunteers to their wheelchairs that were unloaded minutes earlier by Logistics members. The group then proceeded to Giant supermarket to meet up with the F&B members.

The F&B members had arrived earlier to collect goodies bags sponsored by Giant for the elderly. The content of the goodies bags : 3-in-1 coffee, bottle of chicken essence, freshly baked bun, mineral water bottle, mandarin oranges and other groceries. The elderly enjoyed their specially prepared snacks, while volunteers prepared themselves to navigate through the crowds in Giant.

After the short break, the shopping began. 2 groups started their shopping at level 1: clothings and electronics department. The rest proceeded to basement 2 for food and groceries. Volunteers position themselves at the travelator to help elderly navigate and ensure their safety.

Some were fast shoppers, finishing their shopping in minutes. Others were taking their time to go through the store before deciding what to buy. Everyone was having a good time, chatting and laughing. After 30 minutes, most had finished their shopping and were queuing up for checkout. Groups started to gathered outside Giant, comparing their buys, chatting, and taking photos.

After everyone was done, it was time for some photo taking. The walkway along the bay was a great spot with Sentosa in the background. The sky was clear with cool sea breeze as the group take their spot for a group photo.

The buses arrived at the waiting point in time to fetch everyone to dinner. Dinner was held at Ah Orh restaurant located in Bukit Merah, a short ride from Vivocity. The elderly were seated together with the volunteers to ensure their needs were taken care. The food were fresh and tasty, and the service was top notch. Everyone enjoyed the food as it was something different from the daily meals.

After the sumption dinner, everyone boarded the bus for a short tour of Chinatown. It was near Chinese New Year and Chinatown was filled with festive mood. After the bus made its round through the area, it was time to head back Moral Home.

As the volunteers bid farewell to the elderly at the home, one can sense their happiness and enjoyment from the trip. Although the limps tired, but the faces contented. It was surely a day for everyone to remember.

Feedback

Due to the large numbers of volunteers for this event, the registration process took longer than excepted. More members should be assigned to handle registration in future events.

There were insufficient wheelchairs for the elderly, due to miscalculation. Event coordinator should communicate more closely with Logistics members in future events.

Credits

Moral Home nurses and therapist for attending to the needs and safety of the elderly.

Giant Hypermarket for the generous goodies bags.

Ah Orh Restaurant for the great food and service, and HUGE discount.

Uncle bus drivers for the timely and safe transport.

All volunteers for your time, patience and kindness.

All committee members for your effort and time put into the event.

Committee Members

Event Coordinator – Hui Quan, Jin Xiong

Volunteer Coordinator – Rico, Ah Xian

Treasurer – Wendy

F&B – Sharon

Goodies Bag – Christina, Fiona

Logistics – Song, Desmond

Multimedia – Poh Yan, Stuart

Group Leader – Gary, Loi, SK, Sam