In this 3-minute video, Sara La Rocca, a volunteer at various nonprofit groups in Singapore, shares about the rewards she gets from sharing her time to help people.
Sara: It hasn't been so much about giving money. I sometimes feel people who are in need don’t necessarily need your money. They might instead need someone to spend time with them. This is true when it comes to the elderly and when it comes to kids. Perhaps I think it's something that can evolve. You can find new ways to volunteer.
Joanna: That's great. And you mentioned that there are also some things that you experienced out of giving. Can you expound more on that? Sara: I think at the end of the day, it sounds selfish maybe, but it's something that enriches you. It makes you feel terrific to give your time, to make somebody else's life better as well. So it's a personal journey, and it's something that changes you and your perspective. We have a bit of idea coming to Singapore and what Singapore will be. We look around, and everything is very shiny. Everything is spotless, and there are parts of Singapore that we don't see right away. You are getting to learn this side when people are disadvantaged. There are a lot of families in Singapore living in poverty or in shelters, and I think, first of all, it makes you realize where you are living. Like we might be too detached because work is too demanding and kind of feel volunteering your time makes you feel more grounded. It makes you feel like you know where you are and what the community is around you. Makes you more aware, in a way, that you're privileged. Because I think a lot of us are privileged to also have the time to volunteer even though you think you might not have time. If you make the time you will understand how lucky you are in these sorts of things. And that's where for me changes your perspective because things have a different dimension when you put in the context, where just behind you there are people in Singapore who are struggling to put their kids to school. At a certain point, you know that not being able to afford certain things is not that big of a deal anymore. It gives the priority, and the values in your life, so that's your personal journey. And then, of course, there is like the community aspect where you meet a lot of people. We were saying before maybe sometimes you think of your friends as your oldest friends because they've known you for so long, then it's effortless to make new friends when you're sharing something like that with other people. It really connects you with a lot more. And I feel a lot of people in Singapore are a bit isolated because it's work, again. It's like it's so demanding that you don't have that much time to interact. But when you try and make that time, then it really opens up a lot.
Check out my other interviews with Sara La Rocca to learn about how you too can volunteer your skills where you are.
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June 2020
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