It feels good to receive hongbaos during Chinese New Year. But as one generous soul attests, giving away your hongbaos to those in need can bring you just as much joy.
Growing up, Adrian Feng always looked forward to receiving hongbaos during Chinese New Year, and he felt privileged that his parents allowed him to spend the money he got.
Now 34, Adrian has been donating his hongbao money to charity for the past few years. Through a volunteering stint with Fei Yue Community Services, he got to understand that caring for kids and youths require a certain level of dedication and effort, which made him appreciate the mission of the Singapore Children’s Society (SCS), one of the charities he gives to.
“I chose SCS as a beneficiary because I feel that life has been unfair to kids who are in underprivileged positions through no fault of their own. Being in an early stage of their lives, what they experience now will have a strong influence on their thinking and beliefs,” he says.
“I feel that it is important to make them feel like they belong to society. It might not be much but hopefully, my contribution will help these underprivileged kids achieve success at a later stage of their lives.”
Apart from SCS, Adrian also donates to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Singapore and Wildlife Reserves Singapore.
“I feel that the regional activities WWF Singapore does is crucial in preserving the environment. An example would be the haze in Singapore in 2015. They engaged the community in Indonesia and advised them against burning the land by offering them sustainable alternatives.”
When asked for his views on skills-based volunteering, Adrian says it is a great idea as individuals with the relevant expertise can be brought in to improve the organisation’s efficiency and effectiveness at a minimal expense. However, in reality, non-profit organisations which rely heavily on volunteers for their operations will still have to grapple with having a committed pool of volunteers to help them.
