Our First Project in 2003

SPACES Community undertook Projek Pelangi as its first community development initiative. Project Pelangi aimed to bring cheer to poor Muslim elderly and families by offering to paint their homes for Hari Raya Aidilfitri 2003. The project was held on 15 November 2003 and the follow-up visitation on 6 December 2003.  The event was reported in Berita Harian on 1 November 2003 and was featured prominently in colour print on the front page of Berita Minggu on 16 November 2003. It was also reported on the 8pm News on Suria TV channel on 15 November 2003.

Our Projects in 2004

SPACES Community's first project in 2004 was a Family Reunion Dinner on 10 January 2004, where we helped to organize a reunion dinner for a marginalized community with the aim of fostering closer bonds among the family members in this community and building social support for these marginalized families.

On 17 January 2004, SPACES Community organized Project Family Reunion, which aimed to bring cheer to poor Chinese elderly households by offering to clean their homes in preparation for Chinese New Year 2004 and to join them for the traditional reunion dinner. The event was reported in Shin Ming Daily News on 18 January 2004 (English translation).

In March 2004. SPACES Community was invited to give a talk in a school on ‘Volunteerism’.

While busy preparing for Project Golden Girls, SPACES Community was approached by the Queenstown Queensway Zone RC to help organize a community project, Project Vaanavil, in celebration of Deepavali and Hari Raya Puasa. On 30 October 2004, with only 12 days' notice, SPACES Community managed to pool all of its resources to paint 26 low-income elderly Indian-Hindu and Malay-Muslim homes. The event was featured in Streats on 29 October 2004 and reported extensively in the Tamil TV News on 5 November 2004. A follow-up visitation took place on 27 November 2004.

SPACES Community’s last project for 2004 was Project Golden Girls on 19 November 2004, where we helped to organize a 2-Day-1-Night stay at a holiday resort and a BBQ dinner with games and entertainment for about 200 elderly folks and their families. The event, which celebrated the tenth anniversary of the Salvation Army Bedok Multiservice Centre for the Elderly, was held in conjunction with Senior Citizens’ Week 2004 and in response to "President’s Challenger 2004: Volunteer A Day, Volunteer with Kindness", a programme initiated by the National Council of Social Service and the Singapore Kindness Movement.

Our Projects in 2005

SPACES Community first project for 2005 was Projek Muhibah on 15 January 2005, where we painted and cleaned 30 homes of infirm elderly and needy families staying in Toa Payoh estate. We replaced 14 mattresses and bedding items that were infested with bed bugs as well as fumigated these houses. In the evening, we invited the elderly and their families to a free reunion dinner with the volunteers. The event was publicized in The Straits Times Urban on 13 Jan, two days before the project took place.

On 19 January 2005, SPACES Community was approached by The Salvation Army Bedok Rehabilitation Centre for the Elderly to help to paint the Centre. Codenamed Paint My World, 9 volunteers painted the centre on 29 Jan, and 13 volunteers painted on 30 Jan. This was despite the short notice of only 10 days, and almost immediately after Projek Muhibah and just before the Chinese New Year.

As a follow-up to Projek Muhibah, I-CARE Mission was launched from Apr 05 to Dec 05 as a regular visitation program for frail elderly staying in Toa Payoh estate. This program aims to provide continuing care to the destitute and to meet their basic needs.

Cruising Down Memory Lane took place on 14 May 2005, one week before Vesak Day. SPACES Community organized an outing on wheelchairs for the elderly living in one-room rental flats in Toa Payoh. They visited Raffles Place, Singapore River, the Marina Bay waterfront, City Hall, War Memorial Park, Esplanade Park, and various religious sites in Chinatown.

On 2 Aug 05, SPACES Community was invited by a school to give a talk on Active Citizenry.

The biggest project for SPACES in 2005 was the staging of the matinee and the evening shows of A Nation In Concert on 13 Aug 2005 at the Esplanade Concert Hall with over a hundred performers from the Handicaps Welfare Association, the Singapore Association for the Deaf, the Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped and the Association for Persons with Special Needs (Katong School, Tanglin School and Chao Yang School). This fund-raising concert raised close to $200K in support of these 4 VWOs and the Community Chest. The concert was reported in newspapers including The Straits Times, TODAY, Lianhe Zaobao, The New Paper and Epoch; on radio stations including UFM 100.3, Live 93.8, Capital 95.8, Radio International and WKRZ 91.3; and in many other websites and magazines. This pioneering concert has established a beach-head for charity shows where the beneficiaries are empowered to showcase their performing talents in a positive way and to raise funds for their respective charities.

In celebration of Deepavali and Hari Raya Puasa 2005, SPACES Community undertook Operation Memory Veil on 22 Oct 2005, where the volunteers of I-CARE Mission went to 13 homes to install curtain railings and new curtains for the infirm elderly, most of whom live alone in the one-room flats in Toa Payoh estate. These elderly have been using only a piece of cloth to hang over their window to provide shade instead of a proper curtain. The project allowed volunteers to interact with the elderly and improve their living conditions.

As a follow-up to A Nation In Concert, SPACES launched Run With Me. Though I'm Different - a fund raising effort to build a multi-purpose court at the Handicaps Welfare Association and to raise awareness of disability. To encourage active lifestyles amongst people on wheelchair and as a form of celebration to mark the fund raising effort, volunteers participated in the Singapore Marathon 2005 on 4 Dec 2005. Jerry Siah came in 3rd (gun-time) / 2nd (chip-time) position under CEO Challenge (10km) category. Wheelies from HWA came in top 3 positions under Wheelies category.

Our Projects in 2006 so far

SPACES Community first project for 2006 was an outing on 25 Feb to the beach at East Coast Park for 30 elderly staying in Blk 31 Lor 5 Toa Payoh. Fellow volunteer Nam Khim initated and organized Springtime by the Beach. Along with 30 volunteers, the group enjoyed a BBQ meal by the beach.

On 18 Mar, a group of SMU undergrads initated Project Palette where they mobilized over a hundred student and adult volunteers to paint 10 houses in Beo Crescent, 15 houses in Chin Swee Estates and on 2 houses in Pandan Gardens. After the event, the elderly and volunteers gathered for a celebrative dinner.

While Project Palette was being carried out, SPACES was alerted to a call for volunteers to help in a massive project to fumigate 30 houses in the Toa Payoh area due to a serious bed bug infestation. During the 2nd fumigation exercise on 8 Apr, codenamed WOW Day Project, volunteers from the AsiaWorks Leadership Program (LP54) mobilized over a hundred adult volunteers to help move furniture, painted 14 houses and cleaned 2 others. The event ended with a celebrative dinner with performances and giving out of food items and hongbao to the needy elderly residents.

Do check out Current Projects to volunteer in our activities. 

Join our Yahoo! Groups mailing list to receive news and announcements about our upcoming projects!