The number of volunteers in the North West Community Development Council (CDC) has more than doubled in the past year, said North West District Mayor Teo Ho Pin on Sunday, at a celebration to acknowledge their input.
There are about 2,880 volunteers now, up from just 1,250 in 2011, he said.
“Our biggest increase comes from our strong pool of youth volunteers, who doubled from about 470 to the current 1,000,” he said at the event held at Republic Polytechnic.
Dr Teo attributed the newfound zeal to green programmes introduced in 2011, which include Recycle @ North West and Reduce @ North West. For example, these earth-friendly volunteers go to households to share energy-saving tips.
“Green, art and sports programmes tend to draw more youth to come forward,” Dr Teo said, adding that the CDC will set aside $250,000 over the next three years to support young people in leading 25 community service projects.
Another goal is to boost the number of volunteers to 4,000 this year.
Volunteers in the CDC also help out by organising regular brisk walks for residents and providing free eye checks for needy people.
A total of 13 awards were given out on Sunday to people for their outstanding commitment to volunteerism.
One of them, 73-year-old retiree Sim Yang Oh, has been leading free qigong lessons almost every day for about 17 years. “It’s just my way of giving back to society,” he said.
Source: The Straits Times