Lend a hand to those who need it most this festive season.
Lend a hand to those who need it most this festive season.
Did you know that while giving helps people on the receiving end, it is also incredibly good for your health? Many of the benefits are associated with what’s known as the ‘helper’s high’ – the sense of warmth and satisfaction that comes from knowing you’ve done something to improve the life of another. Here are 10 places to start:
PEOPLE POWER
Association for Persons with Special Needs (APSN)
Empower the futures of people with mild intellectual disabilities by donating to their specialised education and vocational training programmes. Visit www.apsn.org.sg.
Transient Workers Count Too
Help fund emergency medical care, food and shelter for migrant workers facing work-related injuries or errant employers. A donation via giving.sg will help tide them over this difficult period. Visit www.twc2.org.sg.
The Red Pencil
Donate and restore hope in the lives of Syrian refugees living in Kurdistan – proceeds will help fund art therapy projects to help them heal in the wake of war and the trauma of losing their homes. Visit www.redpencil.org.
Daughters Of Tomorrow
Help relieve low-income women of some of their daily burden. Every contribution helps enable these women to gain confidence through skills-training, job-bridging programmes and more. Visit www.daughtersoftomorrow.org.
Pass It On
Give away useful items (furniture, home appliances and more) still in good working condition that you no longer use to families and individuals in need via this online platform. Visit www.passiton.org.sg.
FOR THE LITTLE ONES
Children Society
Bring joy to children and their families in need by supporting this annual fund-raising project, A Little Kindness, Lots of Joy! – every amount will go towards services such as a residential home care programme for abused children. Visit www.childrensociety.org.sg.
VIVA Foundation for Children with Cancer
Fund cancer research and help change the odds for those afflicted with childhood cancer. Every donation goes towards developing treatments and cures, as well as improving medical care facilities and education for the children. Visit www.viva.sg.
Room To Read
Educate a child in a developing country – $70 can teach him/her to read and write for a whole year! Visit www.roomtoread.org/singapore.
FOR ANIMALS
Oasis Second Chance Animal Shelter (OSCAS)
Give our rescued stray dogs a new lease on life by donating money or items, volunteering, fostering or sponsoring. Visit www.oscas.sg.
Animal Concerns Research & Education Society (ACRES)
Stop the cruel and illegal wildlife trade – a $50 donation can fund an entire day of wildlife rescue services, while $100 can cover a month’s medical costs for a rescued animal. Visit www.acres.org.sg.
5 benefits of giving:
★ Giving can alleviate depression in both the short and long term – and people who volunteer have lower levels of depression.
★ People who volunteer are more satisfied with their lives, have a stronger will to live, have less anxiety and fewer physical symptoms caused by psychological conditions.
★ Older people who volunteer tend to live longer.
★ Giving is good for the heart because it stimulates the production of oxytocin which protects us from hardening of the arteries, dilates the blood vessels, reduces blood pressure, and may help the heart regenerate after damage.
★ People who spend more money on others are happier than those who spend more money on themselves.
