Ideas and pledges
#MyFSGPledge - Sylvia Loh
2 October 2023
Forward SG participant Sylvia Loh prioritises giving back to the community as it teaches her empathy and that every contribution matters. She lives by this mantra to make her community more united and vibrant.
“I prioritise giving back to the community. It teaches me empathy and that every contribution matters. So even with four kids, I always carve out time to volunteer.”
— Sylvia Loh, 44
Music company owner, grassroots leader volunteer & Forward SG participant
I’ve been volunteering since I was 15 after attending a student leader camp where I was attached to a senior citizens’ home for three months. My experience during those formative years left a huge impact and that’s why I’m a big proponent of youth volunteers. Today, it is second nature for my four children to spend time giving back to the community.
I’m currently the chairperson of the sustainability taskforce in Bishan East–Sin Ming. I love to be hands-on, volunteering on the ground. With more than 300 gardeners in the community, we do composting from garden waste and tend to vegetable crops in gardening plots converted from a multi-storey carpark, and distribute the harvest to needy families.
We also organise food rescue activities where we distribute near-expiry food that are still good to eat so they don’t go to waste.
We work with social entities such as Fridge Restock Community and Divert for 2nd Life to save an estimated two tonnes of edible food – canned, dry, perishables – from going to waste every month. More than 300 households benefit at each distribution.
In recent years, there’s been more awareness on sustainability efforts, and I see a multiplier effect. There are more ground-up activities and self-organised volunteers from the community. Our volunteer residents range from the ages of 6 to 80 as they often participate with family members. After those years of the pandemic where we had to band together, more are willing to contribute to the community in a spontaneous manner today.
I’ve learnt that it’s very important that neighbours have the opportunity to break the ice. One uncle who is now an avid gardener at our community plots told me how happy he was to have more than a hundred friends in the neighbourhood now. Before he started volunteering, he only had two, despite living in the area for more than 30 years. Stories like that make me feel community work is worthwhile.
I attended three Forward SG sessions at Bishan Community Centre and Toa Payoh West Community Centre because I wanted to share all these initiatives in the community that anyone can sign up for.
My takeaways? People have so much to give when we have the opportunity to co-create in the implementation of our ideas, to make a difference in our community.