Joy of volunteering
SEVENTY-year-old Peter Wong, a cancer survivor as well as parent of a special child, volunteers with Care2Run to share his ability to run with the children.
Another cancer survivor, 49-year old Zanariah Zainal, volunteers together with her Candy Girls Pink Dance Crew (formed following research conducted by Universiti Malaya on the positive effect of physical activities on breast cancer survivors).
When she heard that Care2Run needed volunteers for special needs children, Zanariah was initially not confident if she could succeed. But she motivated herself to take on the challenge to manage and support a child.
Another volunteer, Yip Siew Fune, 54, said, “For me, I wanted to encourage and motivate the children to engage in regular physical activities.”
She added that, “Physical activities reduce the risk of cancer recurrence by 40% to 50%. Care2Run not only helps us, but also the children.”
Volunteerism has been the hallmark of Care2Run since its inception in 2015; what began as a collaborative effort among a group of outdoor enthusiasts has since burgeoned into a solid 10-week curriculum benefiting students around Petaling Jaya (PJ), Selangor, with support from a pool of dedicated volunteers.
“It is a very welcoming community, accepting you as you are,” said Denise Temmink, Care2Run programme leader.
“The programme encourages you to harness your strengths in overcoming your weaknesses, increase your confidence and helps you discover your full potential.”
In early 2016, the programme focused on students of a secondary school in PJ, introducing the programme to special needs students as part of their physical education programme.
For this effort, Care2Run received overwhelming response from volunteers in addition to securing a sponsorship from Datasonic Group Berhad wherein employees also volunteered as personal development mentors throughout their 10-week Corporate Social Responsibility programme.
“We work with children from underprivileged homes or those who have special needs; taking them outdoors to play with them to increase their self-esteem and physical literacy,” explained Temmink, who has a PhD in Health Sciences.
“Care2Run is unique in its approach as our key to success is 1-to-1 mentoring: one child is paired with one adult who supervises, coaches and mentors the child.”
Many volunteers have fond experiences of working with these children who have shown progressive growth in character and self-esteem throughout the programme.
Volunteer Ahmad Zaidi, a health and safety officer, noted that as a mentor he was able to understand the children’s talents and aspirations. His outlook is shared by fellow volunteer, Jimmy Aw Yang, an accountant who believes that Care2Run inspires children by drawing out their inner strength.