What better way have to celebrate the past festive season than by warming the hearts and filling the bellies of home-bound elderlies? The NUS Taekwondo Team reached out to TOUCH Community Services to volunteer for their “Meals-On-Wheels” (MOW) programme during the Christmas season. The elderly, who usually live alone, depend on MOW volunteers to deliver their meals every day.
30 members from the Taekwondo team have packed and delivered a total of 172 meals over the course of three sessions in December 2020. The volunteers came together as part of TeamNUS’ Community Involvement Projects (CIP).
Heavy downpours due to the monsoon season did not deter members to deliver the meals by foot or public transport. While the weather was unforgiving, they faced the situation with tenacity and enthusiasm.
For Janelle Yeo, Captain of NUS Taekwondo, she was happy to see her team coming together to brighten up a senior citizen’s day even that meant getting their shoes soaked from the rain and trying their best to prevent the food from getting wet. The Year 2 Business student recalled: “My fondest memory was when the seniors expressed concern when we were caught in the rain. They told us to take care. I was very touched by this small yet thoughtful gesture. I also learnt that every small act of kindness makes a difference to our community.”
Packing and distribution were just one part of this volunteering experience. Members got to engage in conversations with their beneficiaries. Janelle’s teammate, Lin Xiao Xian, a Year 2 FoS student commented: “I love interacting with the elderly. I can see from the elderlies’ responses that our presence lifted spirits.”
Brian Chua, Year 2 FASS student, chimed in. He said: “The experience enabled me to realise how fortunate I am to be young and able bodied. I hope that the future generations will continue to actively give back to the society.”
NUS Taekwondo recognises the need and the impact that MOW has on the elderly community. Janelle added: “Such services are in urgent need as there are a significant number of the elderly with limited mobility. I hope our small efforts have improve their well-being and allow them to age with dignity.” She urges her peer to “take advantage of their youth to step out of their comfort zones”.
She added: “With Chinese New Year coming, we should cherish our time with our family members and the pioneer generation.” She hopes through volunteering opportunities, her friends will get to experience firsthand, the joy of helping those in need.
Coming up next for NUS Taekwondo
Janelle and her team are already planning their next CIP – “MAXiNUS 2021”. It will be an extravagant martial arts sports carnival where NUS Taekwondo will collaborate with four other NUS martial arts groups (Silat, Wushu, Karate and Judo) to connect with underprivileged children by teaching them martial arts.
The inaugural event was launched in December 2019 with over 60 participants at the grand carnival. For 2021 edition, the team is undeterred by the current COVID-19 situation and is in the midst of planning the second annual MAXiNUS event in March.
Check out their Instagram page @nustkd
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Janelle Yeo, Captain of NUS Taekwondo, Year 2, NUS Business School
