A Humbling Experience

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I just returned from volunteering as a fundraiser and while it is tiring, it has indeed been a meaningful evening. Since I am a volunteer coordinator, I thought that it would be a good idea to also try my hand at being a fundraiser. And so I signed up to help out with The Salvation Army's Christmas Kettle Appeal as a bellringer for a couple of hours in town. Those few hours were both humbling and as well an eye-opener for me.

You see, I am an introvert and for me to take up the bell, wear a red apron, stand in the middle of town ringing the bell and beckoning to everyone to donate is just about the last thing an introverted person would do. Initially, I felt rather embarrassed and kept asking myself why I am subjecting myself to such "torture" and embarrassment. But as time went by, I began to realize that it is no longer about myself but about the needy and underprivileged who I am raising funds for. I stopped feeling embarrassed and seriously went all out; smiling at everyone who walked past and beckoning to everyone to donate.

"Hi, would you like to donate?" and I went on and on the whole night. And I figured out that while I am at it, I might as well have fun! And so, regardless whether people donated, I joyfully utter "thank you" and merry christmas" whenever there was at least a response from them e.g. people stepping up to donate or people just smiling and shaking their heads. To me, I really appreciate at least a small response to me rather than treating me as invisible.

It was also an eye opener. Call it donor fatigue or whatever but Singaporeans seems to have devised many ways to avoid donating and that really saddens me. I always feel that if you do not want to donate, just smile and respond. You never will know how much that would encourage the fundraiser who had stood there for hours and had many people treating them like invisible.

When I was there yesterday, most people treated me as invisible and walked right past me as if I did not exist. Some even avoided me and I seemed to be a magnet which repelled them away from the zone within which I was standing in. Some walked past, saw us, dug into their pockets pretending to search for something and walked right past us. Some whipped out their handphones and started messaging or make/take calls. Most avoided eye contact.

And it also became clear to me that a large majority of people now walk the streets with earphones plugged into their ears. It seems like everybody either had an ipod, mp3 player or a handsfree set plugged into their ears. And as they walk past you, they seem to quicken their pace and give you the message "stay away from me" despite being able to see that someone in front of them trying to raise funds for The Salvation Army. Some came up to me, asked for directions and left without donating. Some took more than one pocket calendar from me and left without donating. And what was surprising is that the ones who donated seems to be those in their thirties and above. Seldom will you see youth and young people stopping by to donate. And I can go on and on ranting about all the ugly Singaporeans I see while kettling but gather that I will just stop here.

But what made me real glad is that amidst all these negativity, there were also people who made my day with their little kind gestures. I really thank those who at least responded to me when I called out, asking for donations. I thank the gentlemen who came up to donate and showered me and my fellow volunteer with words of encouragement. I thank the lady jogger who stopped in her path to donate. I thank the gentlemen, who despite being engaged on the phone, nonetheless stopped, whipped out his wallet and contributed to the pot. I thank the parents who gave money to their children to contribute to the pot while standing from afar watching their children donate. I also thanked my fellow colleagues and friends for dropping by to say "hi".

I believe that each of us are blessed in one way or another and we can each play a small part in making life better for the less fortunate. I truly enjoyed my kettling experience and in a way am looking forward to my next session :)