Sylvia Loh, mother of four and full-time director of a music company, dedicates time to being Bishan Neighbourhood Committee’s Chairperson due to her love and passion for volunteering.
A zest of life, a fervent passion for bridging people together, and a childlike flair with the belief that people are innately kindhearted, Bishan Neighbourhood Committee’s Chairperson is a role model for many to look up to.
Madam Sylvia Loh has dedicated the past 25 years of her life to volunteering services and giving back to the community. What started out as a mere interest in a school volunteering programme with the National Council of Social Service gradually developed into a lifelong passion for servant leadership and a grassroots position within the Bishan community.
The full-time director of a music company, Madam Loh also holds the position of Chairperson in Bishan NC. As Chairperson, she oversees and organizes events for the community. This ranges from visits to old folks’ home to grassroots events. To make these events more inclusive for the community, she involving the aspect of volunteering through these events and encourages giving back to the community; For one, children donating their preloved toys to those in need during a Children’s Day event.
The ripple effect of Sylvia’s actions is not only extended to those in need, but to those who offer to volunteer in these events as well. 27-year-old volunteer Darren Al Anthony, who volunteers weekly as a storyteller for events at the BNC Hub, finds Sylvia’s volunteering efforts and event organisations heartening.
“Sylvia is one of the most kind-hearted and generous people I know,” said Darren Al Anthony.
Although Madam Loh is unpaid as the Chairperson, she still upholds her duties and responsibilities and helps resolve conflicts and issues of the residents in Bishan. The most memorable one she encountered was about a tree that was not well-maintained, it was overgrown and ended up blocking the residents’ view. It was a recurring problem and only short-term solutions were done about it.
Madam Loh then contacted the National Environmental Agency to have the tree trimmed every few months. The residents were very thankful that Madam Loh implemented this policy
as it has been a bother to most residents for a while.
“I finally see the light after 15 to 18 years. You’ve been a fabulous BNC chair. Wish I could vote for you as the President of Singapore,” said a Bishan resident to Madam Loh.
Her volunteering efforts have not been in vain. Madam Loh was one of the recipients from Bishan-Toa Payoh Group Representation Constituency to be awarded The Public Service Medal, Pingat Bakti Masyarakat or also known as “PBM”, during the National Day Awards 2019. The medal, which was instituted in 1973 is awarded to any person who has rendered commendable public service in Singapore or for their achievement in the field of arts and letters, sports, the sciences, business, the professions and the labour movement.
“Normally, this award is usually given to individuals who are in senior roles. It was both a surprise and honour to receive this prestigious award” said Madam Loh.
While this 40-year-old has impacted several others during her time as an active volunteer, she cites her Co-Curriculum Activity cum music instructor as someone who resonated with her in her many years of volunteering.
What started out as a mere act of volunteering had Madam Loh and her music instructor form a closely knit relationship over the course of 20 years and counting; now, they share a goddaughter-godmother relationship.
The catch? Madam Loh’’s godmother, who declines to be named, is a dialysis patient and has been in and out of the hospital. Though her godmother has siblings, they all live with their own families.
As a result, her godmother, who is still unmarried even though she is well into her 60s, lives by herself. As a result, Madam Loh acts as a confidant and pillar of support for her godmother.. The extent of their relationship has seen Madam Loh’s godmother officially registered Madam Loh as her next-of-kin.
“Human relationships are a miracle. Even though you are strangers and not blood-related, you can still touch each others’ lives,” said Madam Loh.
After finding out about her godmother’s medical condition, Madam Loh found her strong fighting spirit and enthusiasm while teaching admirable. Like Madam Loh, her godmother also has a passion for helping others despite her health complications.
Their acts of kindness have seen the extent from sponsoring food and party supplies for Easter and Christmas celebrations in welfare homes to travelling to rural provinces in the Philippines for volunteering acts. This has even extended over to Madam Loh and her godmother establishing a fund to build hospices over in Davao and Manilla, where the less fortunate and those barely living above the poverty line are able to benefit from these selfless acts of kindness.
“Our money can stretch more in third-world countries, where there’s a life or death situation and you can see the severity of the living conditions,” said Madam Loh.
The mother of four reads books and listens to music in her free time, and even goes out on dates with her husband. Sometimes, she struggles to juggle both her volunteering events as well as her relationship with her husband, even before they were married. Killing two birds with one stone, Madam Loh brings her husband out to volunteering events on their date, citing him to be a “freelance helper”.
Madam Loh is organising a trip for the lower-income families in the Bishan community to the Singapore Flyer as well as planning light displays at the Bishan Community Centre on time for the festive season. Chairperson duties aside,Madam Loh is currently anticipating a visit from one of the nuns in a Filipino convent that she and her godmother have volunteered at a couple of years ago. They are planning to visit several Hospice branches together to volunteer at. She is also in the process of sponsoring the construction of a Hospice building in a rural village in Davao, the Phillippines.
“I feel a sense of satisfaction that I can make a difference to others’ lives...bringing a smile to someone’s face by realising that you have impacted their lives. It’s the satisfaction that keeps me going, said Madam Loh.
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