Selfless Compassion By Stanley Neo
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As I had taken a whole week’s leave to go on a short
three day holiday with my family, I decided to make myself useful and be
productive for the remaining days of my leave by helping the Seeds of
Hope, home visit team.As Tzu Chi foundation was preparing to launch the Seeds of Hope bursary programme for 2011, I was given a list of schools to call, most of which are not yet participating in our programme or have yet to respond to our proposals.
One of these calls I made was to the Vice Principal (Admin) of a secondary school in Bedok area, Mdm Tan. My initial conversation with her received an apathetic response. After making my brief introductory spiel about Tzu Chi and explanation about the bursary programme structure, she reciprocated with, “What’s the catch?” I proceeded by clarifying that our objectives are sincere and that our motives are unconditional.
Her reservation towards us was understandable. I later learned that the previous person in charge had probably misunderstood our intentions when Tzu Chi volunteers first made the presentation to the school last year and the misinterpretation could have been attributed to time constraint leading to an inconclusive presentation.
It was this understanding that was passed down to Mdm Tan when she joined the school staff in 2009 that caused her to be wary of our intentions.
Eventually I was able to persuade her to grant us an appointment on the morning of 27 Sep 2010. Mdm Tan was met by a team of Tzu Chi volunteers led by Sister Wu Yu Chin who made the presentation clarifying the misconceived issues of the past presentation. With doubts cleared and objectives understood, one more school became a participating member of the Seeds of Hope Bursary programme for 2011.
During the meeting, our volunteers were pleasantly surprised to learn that Mdm Tan possessed ideals that were similar to ours. She graciously shared with us her own experience which was both touching and inspiring.
A single mother, Mdm Tan left her job as a Regional Finance Controller with an insurance broking firm to spend much needed time with her teenage daughter and took on the post of Vice Principal (Admin) of this school two years later. Although it meant a pay cut she felt it was worth it as it allowed her more quality time with her only child.
Outside of school parameters, Mdm Tan also firmly believes in contributing to society and actively volunteers in her church activities. She is also an active affiliate member of one of the largest women’s organization in the world known as Aglow International, an American based movement that provides care, support and mentorship for women and men in a Christian environment. With such personal cultivation, it is little wonder that she is able to reach out when the need arises.
As she continued to convey her encounters, one of the incidents she shared was that of a student whose elder brother was suffering from cancer. The care recipient in this case however, was the younger brother who had been neglected by his parents as all the attention had been directed to his cancer-stricken brother. Apparently his school fees had been compromised due to the mounting medical fees of his brother’s treatment.
This incident triggered Mdm Tan’s compassionate nature and she reached out to this family. Due to the extensive network she created while in her former profession, she was able to amass the necessary resources to help resolve this family’s predicament. (Note: Due to sensitivity and recognizable nature of this case, the method by which this family was helped cannot be disclosed.)
Another incident Mdm Tan shared with the volunteers was a case of an international student from China who had an abusive mother. The abuse was known to have taken place up to four times in that year, each time escalating into a police case. On the eve of the ‘O’ level examinations, the mother, for some reason, in a fit of rage abused the student to the extent of tearing her uniform. Subsequent consequences of the incident exposed the student to the risk of being deported back to her home country.
Mdm Tan felt for the student and decided to go beyond the call of duty. She acquired financial help from the Lion’s Club of Singapore who covered her arrears in school fees and managed to find a private sponsor who not only paid for her ongoing tuition fees but also her living expenses as well. The police however, after handling her case, referred her to the welfare department of MCYS who secured for her a legal guardian so that she could remain in Singapore and continue her studies. Mdm Tan’s compassion however, is not without condition; one important thing is expected of her care recipient: ‘succeed (in everything you do)'.
Mdm Tan’s endeavour is paying off; this student is now continuing her studies at a local Polytechnic and is heading toward a bright future.
In our cosmopolitan Singapore where many are preoccupied with careers and financial security, it is refreshing to see that there are individuals like Mdm Tan who are focused on reaching out and helping those who have fallen through the cracks of society and require much needed help.
With her available resources and willingness to apply them to her many present undertakings, Mdm Tan is not only a valuable asset to the school where fundraising activities is concerned but also a force to be reckoned with when it comes to volunteerism and selfless compassion.
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touching story.thanks for sharing
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