As I had taken a whole week’s leave to go on a short
three day holiday with my family, I decided to make myself useful
and be productive for the remaining days of my leave by helping the
Seeds of Hope, home visit team.
As Tzu Chi foundation was preparing to launch the Seeds
of Hope bursary programme for 2011, I was given a list of schools
to call, most of which are not yet participating in our programme
or have yet to respond to our proposals.
One of these calls I made was to the Vice Principal
(Admin) of a secondary school in Bedok area, Mdm Tan. My initial
conversation with her received an apathetic response. After making
my brief introductory spiel about Tzu Chi and explanation about the
bursary programme structure, she reciprocated with, “What’s the
catch?” I proceeded by clarifying that our objectives are sincere
and that our motives are unconditional.
Her reservation towards us was understandable. I later
learned that the previous person in charge had probably
misunderstood our intentions when Tzu Chi volunteers first made the
presentation to the school last year and the misinterpretation
could have been attributed to time constraint leading to an
inconclusive presentation.
It was this understanding that was passed down to Mdm
Tan when she joined the school staff in 2009 that caused her to be
wary of our intentions.
Eventually I was able to persuade her to grant us an
appointment on the morning of 27 Sep 2010. Mdm Tan was met by a
team of Tzu Chi volunteers led by Sister Wu Yu Chin who made the
presentation clarifying the misconceived issues of the past
presentation. With doubts cleared and objectives understood, one
more school became a participating member of the Seeds of Hope
Bursary programme for 2011.
During the meeting, our volunteers were pleasantly
surprised to learn that Mdm Tan possessed ideals that were similar
to ours. She graciously shared with us her own experience which was
both touching and inspiring.
A single mother, Mdm Tan left her job as a Regional
Finance Controller with an insurance broking firm to spend much
needed time with her teenage daughter and took on the post of Vice
Principal (Admin) of this school two years later. Although it meant
a pay cut she felt it was worth it as it allowed her more quality
time with her only child.
Outside of school parameters, Mdm Tan also firmly
believes in contributing to society and actively volunteers in her
church activities. She is also an active affiliate member of one of
the largest women’s organization in the world known as Aglow
International, an American based movement that provides care,
support and mentorship for women and men in a Christian
environment. With such personal cultivation, it is little wonder
that she is able to reach out when the need arises.
As she continued to convey her encounters, one of the
incidents she shared was that of a student whose elder brother was
suffering from cancer. The care recipient in this case however, was
the younger brother who had been neglected by his parents as all
the attention had been directed to his cancer-stricken brother.
Apparently his school fees had been compromised due to the mounting
medical fees of his brother’s treatment.
This incident triggered Mdm Tan’s compassionate nature
and she reached out to this family. Due to the extensive network
she created while in her former profession, she was able to amass
the necessary resources to help resolve this family’s predicament.
(Note: Due to sensitivity and recognizable nature of this case, the
method by which this family was helped cannot be disclosed.)
Another incident Mdm Tan shared with the volunteers was
a case of an international student from China who had an abusive
mother. The abuse was known to have taken place up to four times in
that year, each time escalating into a police case. On the eve of
the ‘O’ level examinations, the mother, for some reason, in a fit
of rage abused the student to the extent of tearing her uniform.
Subsequent consequences of the incident exposed the student to the
risk of being deported back to her home country.
Mdm Tan felt for the student and decided to go beyond
the call of duty. She acquired financial help from the Lion’s Club
of Singapore who covered her arrears in school fees and managed to
find a private sponsor who not only paid for her ongoing tuition
fees but also her living expenses as well. The police however,
after handling her case, referred her to the welfare department of
MCYS who secured for her a legal guardian so that she could remain
in Singapore and continue her studies. Mdm Tan’s compassion
however, is not without condition; one important thing is expected
of her care recipient: ‘succeed (in everything you do)'.
Mdm Tan’s endeavour is paying off; this student is now
continuing her studies at a local Polytechnic and is heading toward
a bright future.
In our cosmopolitan Singapore where many are
preoccupied with careers and financial security, it is refreshing
to see that there are individuals like Mdm Tan who are focused on
reaching out and helping those who have fallen through the cracks
of society and require much needed help.
With her available resources and willingness to apply
them to her many present undertakings, Mdm Tan is not only a
valuable asset to the school where fundraising activities is
concerned but also a force to be reckoned with when it comes to
volunteerism and selfless compassion.