For the love of volunteering

December 10, 2009 – Leong Su Yin is a regular face at the RSVP Singapore – The Organisation of Senior Volunteers’ office in Bishan. She has been volunteering in its mentoring programme since 1998, while she was still working, doing administration work in the marine industry. Over the years, she has built up an impressive portfolio at the volunteer group including doing administration work at the cyberguide programme, helping at the front desk, manning the group’s booths at roadshows/exhibitions and being a part of the Human Resource Development at RSVP. With the latter, which she has done for six years, she reminds members to pay their membership fees, calls board members to remind them about meetings and tells new members to attend monthly active ageing and volunteerism talks.

“All along, I wanted to help people. If they need help and there is no one to take over, I will take over. I just can’t refuse! I really enjoy doing it and get a lot of satisfaction especially being with the children in the mentoring programme. Being with them, I am able to learn a lot about their inner world and be able to communicate better with them to make them happy,” said 74-year-old Leong, who only retired four years ago. She also shared that she has no children and has a lot of spare time to volunteer.

She does two days of mentoring at a school and when needed at RSVP on the other days, she is all too happy to accommodate. As a result of her dedication and enthusiasm, she was honoured last year at the RSVP Volunteer Appreciation Nite 2009 (she is seen here with Dr Philbert Chin, president of RSVP and Minister of State for Community Development, Youth and Sports, Yu-Foo Yee Shoon) by being named the Volunteer of the Year 2009.