Project SOS 2008: SUCCESS!

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The committee of Project Summer on Sand 2008 would like to thank all honoured guests, sponsors, donors, volunteers, participants, and everyone who played a part in making our event a success!...

Written by: Ho Sim Yee

On 26 July 2008, Project SOS held our finale event at East Coast Park Castle Beach and it was a HUGE SUCCESS!

We arrived bright and early to prepare and add on the finishing touches to our event setup. Soon after, the children from Chen Su Lan Methodist Children’s Home joined us at East Coast Park Castle Beach. Each child was attached to one freshman and brought to the designated Play Area. There, the children experimented with the different tools, aided by the freshmen If they gave up using a certain tool because they could not build the structure they wanted, our freshmen were there to guide and encourage them to try again as it was the only way to succeed. The children also became more confident seeing that they could build something beautiful with their own hands, having come down for more than just 1 session.

Meanwhile, guests began filling in and the performances started proper. First, we have two talented singers from The Ark who melted away the audience with their voices.

Next, d’Hoppers from the National University of Singapore took up the stage and gave a splendid hiphop dance performance that wow-ed the audience and earned them a resounding round of applause.

Following that, Eugene, a volunteer with the Magic of Lawrence and Priscilla, entertained the audience with eye-opening magic tricks. His friendly interaction and playful engagement with the audience made it an extremely enjoyable segment for both the adults and the children in the audience.

The audience eagerly awaited the arrival of our guest-of-honour, Mr Teo Ser Luck, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Community Development, Youth & Sports, and Ministry of Transport. He arrived shortly after, accompanied by Mr Benjamin Chen, Chairperson of Project SOS, and Ms Chong Sin Hui, Vice-Chairperson of Project SOS.

Performances resumed with Urban Kids from Kids Performing giving us lively renditions of various popular songs such as hits from the High School Musical 2. Their vibrancy spread across the entire audience and amazed everyone with their spectacular performance.

Now it was time for Mr Benjamin Chen, our Chairperson, to give a short speech describing the different phases of Project SOS as well as thanking everyone who helped to make the project a successful one.

Finally, we reached the highlight of the day – the launch of our sandcastle display! Mr Teo went up on stage and penned his well wishes for the children on a flag and placed the flag in front of the central sandcastle to declare the official launch of the sandcastle display.

The sandcastle display titled Singapore a Home for Everyone consists of five sandcastles, symbolizing the five ideals of Singapore – democracy, peace, progress, justice and equality, connected by a wall. The display occupied an area of approximately 60 square metres and were built over a period of three days by a team comprising of 135 undergraduates from SMU and 45 children from Chen Su Lan Methodist Children’s Home and EN Community Services Society The central castle symbolized a safe haven for the children from the beneficiaries.

Karate experts from Goju-Ryu Karate-Do Association Singapore were up on stage next. The audience marveled at their moves and found their martial arts performance very refreshing.

Winnie+Fiona, a band from Singapore Management University, rounded up the day’s performances with their strong vocals and accompaniment.

Mr Teo then proceeded for photo-taking sessions with the sponsors, beneficiaries, and organizing committee of Project SOS.

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Event Finale

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Everyone is cordially invited to the finale event where we will launch the sandcastle built by the combined efforts of SMU student volunteers and our children beneficiaries!

Supported by SMU Broadcast & Entertainment (SMUBE) & Starring performing groups from...

  1. Urban Kids from Kids Performing
  2. Goju-Ryu Karate-Do Association Singapore
  3. d'Hoppers
  4. The Magic of Lawrence and Priscilla - Eugene
  5. The Ark
  6. W+F

Written by: Tan Jin Mei

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Sandcastle Building Session 2

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There was no thunderstorm this time. What greeted us was a sunny and warm afternoon. Perfect weather to be at strolling at the beach, enjoying the breeze, san, sand and sea. Except that, we were well, hard at work once again. This time, with our hardworking subcommittee members and facilitators chipping in.

Learning how to build sandcastles is no easy feat....

For them to have the intricate details that people marvel at takes a great deal of practice and patience. Our team set off organizing the subcommittee members and facilitators into 2 separate groups, teaching them the 'little' that we learnt from our previous lesson with Mr Alvin Lee. Suffice to say, we managed to create all that you see in the pictures - the sandcastle and stairs, but not the impressive interlock of walls you would have seen in our first building day. It was too much for all to absorb within an afternoon.

Off to a hopeful start, we can only hope that we master skills sufficient to impart to our dear beneficiaries who will be joining us on the beach very soon. But above all, it is to bring fun and joy to their lives as they participate in the sandcastle building sessions to come.

Written by: Tan Jin Mei

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Project SOS Team Bonding Day

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The eager beavers… not quite, not yet.

Saturday morning was off to a slow start as small groups of casually clad students trickled into the T-junction at the school concourse. But this was not reflective of the mood and atmosphere of that day. The grogginess from Friday late-night shopping, partying whatsoever completely wore off as the programme started proper.

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Double the Whacko, double the fun!

First up was a perennial favourite at all gatherings – icebreakers! Most of us saw one another for the first time ever and thus had to get used to the fresh faces. We were split into 4 groups and played the “Blanket Drop” game, a game made popular by Taiwanese variety shows. SMUggers excelled in this game which is a test of your memory and reaction time. Laughter erupted when people were given new names and some secretly found amusement at another’s expense – when the latter uttered gibberish or made a look that could give Mr Bean a run for his money. One of the more exciting and colourful names created for my unfortunate female teammate is ‘WTF’. I kid you not. The next icebreaker is another crowd favourite – “Double Whacko”. You would think that with practice from the previous game of “Blanket Drop”, we would be more familiar with one another’s names but this is a sore misconception. It was literally sore for those with lousy partners whose brains were off for summer vacation as they were whacked mercilessly....

After the fun and games, it was time for some serious stuff – Sales Training. Information regarding our booth sales commencing this week was disseminated to the group of sub-committee members and facilitators. It was really just for us to take a breather to prepare us for the station games held later. Just kidding! Important and insightful tips were dished out by the experienced main committee members. And now for the highlight of the day – station games complete with prizes! 4 teams had to battle it out at 4 stations and a final game of Captain Fruits.

The station games include “flip the trashbag”, “pass the fruits”, “battleship” and “put the stick into the bottle”. Captain Fruits, as the name suggests, is simply a game of captain’s ball played with fruits as substitutes for the ball. Sounds simple enough? Not quite. When the fruits consist of the juicy orange and the insanely tiny lime, you know you are in for one mean game. Someone jokingly said that we should play Dodgeball instead. Squeals and grunts filled the air as people were sprayed with generous doses of orange or lime juice. Yummy! A final round of captain’s ball was played out by the winning teams of the preliminary rounds. Guess what replaced the fruits… Hint: Colonel Sanders owes his success to it. That’s right! It’s a CHICKEN! Gross to spectators, but the players themselves had a clucking good time. Words are really inadequate to describe the fun we had and so, we have pictures! Look at how happy and whacky we were. If you weren’t there to join us, shame on you!

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Flipping the trash bag, or trying to…
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Poor orange, caught between two men.
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Battleship! Big hug!
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Sticking the stick into the bottle, intense concentration…

And now the moment we had all been waiting for – prize-giving ceremony! No one went home empty-handed. Aside from the treats given out, we all took back with us new friends and a fun-filled experience.

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Happy faces, cheery smiles!

Written by: Kelly Ho

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Project Summer on Sand - Support Us!

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Keep a look out for our donation booths every week! Your generous donations will go towards helping the less privileged children under our beneficiary organizations!

All are also cordially invited to the finale event where we will launch the sandcastle built by the combined efforts of SMU student volunteers and our children beneficiaries!

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Our First Sandcastle

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It started off with a thunderstorm when we first reached. We had to hide under a makeshift tent at the Castle Beach, hoping for the rain to subside so we could continue our mission: to learn how to build sandcastles so we could teach the kids who would be coming down during weekends.

Well, the rain did not exactly subside. But we continued. Mr Alvin Lee, the founder of Castle Beach Ltd, started off by teaching us the very fundamentals, "Sand, water, and pressure, are the key ingredients to a sandcastle piece." With the different tools, he demonstrated how to build walls, towers, and stairways. Things to note: like having a good mix of sand and water as your dough to put in the moulds, and knocking gently before removing the moulds, turned out to be the crucial tips that made it seem so effortless....

So we started. First adding buckets of water to the sand. Then piling the wet sand up to create a firm, strong foundation. "If the foundation is weak, your sandcastle will just crumble, build how nice also no use," was the stern advice given. Shovelling up the sand and patting it firm got us all panting. But the hard part had just only began...

Our stairways were rarely flawless, with the occasional broken stairs in between. "It looks more like a ruined palace we are building," one of my fellow frieds chuckled. "Look, my castle is bota(no top)," said another, pointing at the castle tower with its chipped off tip. And there was the terrible, never ending task of building the connecting walls with those jagged teeths. We finally pulled off, not without the constant help of Mr Lee and his volunteers. With much sweat and tears, we finished off removing all traces of footprints in our masterpiece. Hmm, not a bad start for a first day's training! Forward, Team SOS!

Written by: Tan Jin Mei

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Contact Us

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For more information, please contact

Mr. Benjamin Chen

at

91478689

.

Or, email us at

project.sos.2008@gmail.com

To donate, please contact

Ms. Bernice Loh

at

81882708

.

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The Project

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Project Summer on Sand (SOS) 2008 is a youth initiative that aspires to empower the lives of our beneficiaries from:

  1. Chen Su Lan Methodist Children's Home
  2. EN Community Services Society

Project SOS 2008 seeks to raise funds for these less privileged children and youths, and also provide inspiration for them through sandcastle-building workshops supported by Mr Alvin Lee, founder of Castle Beach Limited. You can play a part in helping the less privileged by supporting this good cause.

From May to July, look out for the Project SOS booths located along streets on selected dates between 22 May and 22 July. Members of the public are encouraged to purchase a donation ticket at $2 each. Every ticket purchased comes with a detachable flag for you to write well wishes for our beneficiaries.

These flags will be used to decorate the sandcastle sculpture built by SMU students and the beneficiaries between 24 and 25 July, representing your show of support for the less fortunate. The magnificent sandcastle scuplture will be launched officially on the event finale of Project SOS 2008:

Date: 26th July 2008

Place: Castle Beach, East Coast Park
(Carpark E2)

Time: 10.30am to 3pm

Guest-of-Honour: Mr Teo Ser Luck,
Senior Parliamentary Secretary,
Ministry of Community Development,
Youth and Sports & Ministry of Transport

What better way to spend your summer than being at the beach, making friends, and making a difference in the lives of these children? Join us to make your summer an unforgettable and meaningful one!

Project Summer on Sand 2008 is jointly organized by the Singapore Management University Tritouch ConneXion and EN Community Services Society. This event is part of SHINE, a youth festival supported by the National Youth Council and the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports.

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The People

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Beneficiaries


En Community Services Society

Incorporated on 1st September 2003 and granted NCSS Full Membership on 1st February 2004, EN Community Services Society is a voluntary welfare organization that reaches out to the less fortunate in the community through activities and social assistance schemes for the needy. EN has been actively involved in partnering with the community, schools, resident committees and various organizations on a gamut of activities for families and youths.

For more information, please visit http://ecss.org.sg.

Chen Su Lan Methodist Children's Home
Chen Su Lan Methodist Children's Home

Established in July 1968 by the Wesley Methodist Church, Chen Su Lan Methodist Children’s Home aims to provide loving Christian care and welfare for needy and disadvantaged children and children with special needs of all races and religions. The Residential Home provides care, protection and shelter to children aged from 5 to 16 years of age and hopes to give these children the confidence to live their lives and explore God’s special gifts in each of them.

For more information, please visit http://www.cslmch.org.sg.

Organisers

Singapore Management University
Singapore Management University

Officially incorporated on 12 January 2000, Singapore Management University (SMU) is Singapore's third university. Its educational and administrative practices are modeled after American institutions, in particular the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Today, SMU is home to over 5,400 students and comprises six schools: Lee Kong Chian School of Business, School of Accountancy, School of Economics, School of Social Sciences, School of Law, and School of Information Systems – with which IT-renowned Carnegie Mellon University is playing a strategic partnership role.

For more information, please visit www.smu.edu.sg.


Tritouch Connexion

TriTouch ConneXion is a community services CCA in SMU that promotes active community involvement for students through education and value-added skills development courses. By providing them with the support needed to initiate community service projects, we hope to inculcate a sense of social responsibility amongst the students in SMU.

The club has successfully implemented projects such as the Beach Party 2006, Tiles that Bind, Domino of Dreams 2007 and co-organised the TriTouch Bodynits Scholarship. Following the success of our previous efforts, we anticipate an even larger turnout of attendees for our Summer on Sand Project 2008.


En Community Services Society

As a co-organizer of Project SOS 2008, EN Community Services Society hopes to get more tertiary youths avidly involved in volunteerism, where they may learn to empathize and reach out to the less fortunate. By partnering with schools and various organizations, it hopes to create a sturdy network that can provide support where help is needed.

For more information, please visit http://ecss.org.sg.

Sponsors


Chio Lim Stone Forest , Member of RSM International

Chio Lim Stone Forest (CLSF) was founded in 1985 and is today one of the leading and fastest-growing accounting and business advisory groups in Singapore. With a total staff strength of 450± in Singapore (and 120 ± in Shanghai, Beijing, Suzhou and Shenzhen), it is the largest outside the Big 4 in Singapore. On the international front, CLSF is the Singapore member of RSM International, the world’s 7th largest accounting and consulting organisation.

For more information, please visit www.stoneforest.com.sg.


Meta Fusion

Meta Fusion is an energetic, vibrant and award-winning Design House with an extensive array of services that cater to a wide-spectrum of design needs. They have designed Annual Reports, Corporate Branding and Literature, IPO collaterals, Advertisements, Coffee Table Books, Brochures, Direct Mailers, Websites and Newsletters. By creatively synergising form and function, Meta Fusion aims to provide compelling designs that showcase their clients' branding, services, products and image in effective and impactful ways.

For more information, please visit www.metafusion.com.sg.


Eng Wah Cinemas

The Eng Wah Group, founded in the 1940s, is the first cinema operator listed on the main board of the Stock Exchange of Singapore (SGX). The Group is a leading film exhibitor and distributor with 26 strategically located cinema screen halls with a capacity of over 5,300 seats. It is also the first cinema operator in Singapore and in the world to launch the world’s first full 2K (2000 lines resolution) Digital Cinema in its cineplexes in May 2004, and is still the operator with the highest number of 2K digital screens in Singapore.

For more information, please visit www.ewcinemas.com.sg.

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Welcome to Project Summer on Sand.

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Hello World!

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