Adeline Yeo
30 Nov saw the official opening of the Boys’ Brigade Sharity Gift Box (BBSGB), with Guest-of-Honour, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong gracing the launch at Ang Mo Kio (AMK) Hub,
Wish Upon A Star
In its 20th run, BBSGB 2007 aims to fulfil 3 categories of wishes.
In the category of General Wishes, a target of 430,000 general food and household items will be given to 18,826 beneficiaries. Specific Wishes, which are wishes written by beneficiaries and placed on Sharity Wish Trees to be fulfilled by benefactors who shop for the stated gift in the wish tag, are targeted to assist 10,000 beneficiaries. Finally, 20 Special Wishes will be granted to 20 beneficiaries.
For the first time, the Special Wishes are based on their emotional significance and relevance to the recipients. Monetary value will no longer be the main criteria.
A Wish Fulfilled
Thanks to the BBSGB, Madam Hamidah Abdur’s special wish was fulfilled. Having suffered from a stroke in 1990, Mdm Hamidah tried to support her 2 young children, aged 5 and 6, as well as her 79 year-old mother. However, her immobility (she now walks we the aid of a walking stick) deterred her from doing so.
The determined Mdm Hamidah pressed on and attended skill training courses at Mendaki to upgrade herself. She was offered a home-based data entry job but unable to take up the offer previously as she did not have a computer to work on.
Therefore, Mdm Hamidah’s wish was to have a computer, so she could work from home to support her family. And that wish was fulfilled as NTUC Fairprice’s gift of a personal computer, complete with software and a printer was presented to her by PM Lee.
How can I Help Fulfill Wishes?
You can do your part by contributing general food and household necessities such as rice, sugar, biscuits, canned food and so on. All you have to do is drop your contributions at 13 of the project’s gift boxes located island-wide.
If you want to fulfil specific wishes, all you have to do is to adopt a Wish from any of the 8 Boys’ Brigade Sharity Wish Trees at these locations.
– AMK Hub (FairPrice Xtra)
– Jurong Point Shopping Centre
Of course, you can also contribute by helping to pack, or deliver gifts.
BBSGB will last till 20 Dec with daily operating hours of 11am to 9pm. Call the BBSGB hotline at 1800-7427489 or visit the website at www.bbsgb.org.sg