Recently a young lady contacted me and told me that she was going to celebrate her 21st birthday and wanted her guests to give donations to Goducate rather than give her birthday presents. She had heard about Goducate helping the helpless and wanted to be a part of it.
In her note to me, she wrote that she didn’t need any more expensive branded presents because they wouldn’t really make her any better or happier but she knew that the funds given to Goducate would make some poor kid much better and happier.
For many who are materially blessed, giving to the needy may be what gives them most pleasure and satisfaction. Another branded handbag or pair of shoes would be soon be “lost” in an over-loaded cupboard and forgotten. Another holiday trip would soon be forgotten because most five-star buffet breakfasts are more or less the same and another “great” shopping mall is amazingly similar to the past ones that were visited. Surely, for such people it is better to give than to receive.
May I suggest that you should consider how you can make your next celebration or holiday more meaningful? Why not consider following the example of this young lady and direct your friends to give to a cause? Better still, if you live in Singapore why not consider holding your celebration at the Goducate office? It certainly isn’t five-star (it’s 0 star ranking) but maybe your friends have already been to many five-star places but never been to an office that is a gallery of charitable projects! You wouldn’t even need to plan an entertaining program for them because the photos and write-ups on the wall will fascinate them.
For your next holiday (or family vacation) why not consider visiting a Goducate project? It certainly wouldn’t be fancy but will certainly be fascinating! In fact, it might even be life-changing! Several Goducate friends have already done this and they have told me that their trips to our projects were “awesome”! Those with special skills (eg. ability to teach English, computer, music) were able to volunteer to help our workers on the field. Others came back to tell others about their trip and to organize one for their friends.
Life is too short to be meaningless! Let’s make our life meaningful – and in the process help the helpless!
A nursing school that came to know about Goducate’s community work has chosen the Goducate Learning Center in Mabakan, Calaun, to be a center for practical training for their students. Hence 10 nursing students spent January training the locals in basic health awareness and doing health screenings.
Training session
Some 30 people, mostly mothers, attended… Continue reading
A fortnight ago parents of the children attending the Goducate Learning Center in Lalao, Laguna, were brought together to attend a session with their children. The session, called Mama and Me, was intended to emphasize to the parents the importance of good communication with their children and of teaching their children and supervising them while they do their homework and assignments. For the children, the intention was to impress on… Continue reading
Several of our Lifepegs volunteers have been spending part of their winter break in Singapore. Most of them are teachers of English at universities in northeast China. One of their evenings here was spent at the Goducate office. It was a time for them and the Goducate headquarters team to get to know each other, for them to tell us about their experiences in China, and for them to learn… Continue reading
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