Apart from playing music for residents of nursing homes, Ms See initiated a clothes donation drive in July this year for residents living at Mindsville@Napiri, after seeing the condition of the clothes that some residents were wearing during her weekly performances there.
Mindsville@Napiri is a residential home run by the Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore, which provides care and accommodation for children (six years old and above) and adults who have intellectual and developmental disabilities.
“Some of the residents wore clothes of odd sizes and cutting, while some of their clothes were torn.
“So I decided to start a donation drive at the centre and we eventually collected 33 boxes of clothes for them to wear,” she said.
In total, the collection and distribution of clothes took about a week to come to fruition.
I was deeply impressed by Ms See’s commitment to help others even though she herself was shunned by society at a young age. I was curious about whether she felt that life had dealt her a bad hand and how she kept herself from slipping into being despairing and defeatist.
“Life has its challenges, but these are the experiences that we have to bear with to make us stronger.
“If you have the desire to do something, you can conquer obstacles one step at a time, no matter how tough life is. It depends on how much you want it, and of course, if you are willing to work hard for it,” she said.
I could not help but feel a sense of admiration for her resilience and compassion. Her ability to rise above adversity and dedicate herself to serve others was truly inspiring.
As I left that rehearsal session, I carried with me not just what I learnt of music chords, but also a reminder that giving back can be a source of healing for both the receiver and the giver.
