TDF

CS2023: The Young Artist Behind The Design

Palette to mix and match

As Club Rainbow’s very own young artist, Jonas has drawn many pieces of artwork and created figures using clays during his free time. Artworks Jonas and his brothers, Lucas and Titus have created over the years have added more colours and uniqueness to the house. As much as he loves all his artworks, names were made for some of his artworks such as a sunflower clay he created. According to his mother, the first piece of artwork created by Jonas was at the age of four and he has been constantly creating pieces of art since then.

Jonas managed to have his artworks exhibited in an exhibition through his school. Not just that, he was also featured in a lifestyle magazine for his artwork. Happiness was reflected on Jonas’ mum’s face as she shared about his achievements and milestones. As the artist of the design that was printed on Travel 2.0: The Travel Organiser, Jonas is the first person to unbox it (Catch the release of the video on Club Rainbow’s Youtube Channel!). The Travel Organiser is a 6-piece set that comes in grey with the design printed in yellow. The designs are small icons Jonas created, including earth, flowers, a blue recycle bin, trees, etc.

Being a recipient of the CRS Talent Development Fund (TDF), Jonas was offered the opportunity to discover his abilities and gradually develop his skills throughout his journey with CRS, attaining accomplishments in the Arts. The fund supports art workshops, and programmes, giving him the lead in assignment opportunities.

For more details on Travel 2.0: The Travel Organiser, visit our Charity Merchandise page.

A son's first hero

Featuring 2022 Exemplary Caregiver Awardee, Mr Gan Keng Aik

Mr Gan, the father of Aloysius Gan, 16, has been awarded the Exemplary Caregiver Award for his efforts in taking care of Aloysius. Mr Gan currently works in physical security at the management level, overseeing the company operations while juggling his responsibilities with his son.

Aloysius, who attends a special needs school, was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at birth. Due to his condition, Aloysius uses a wheelchair and does not have clear speech. But while his motor skills are affected, resulting in reduced finesse in his hands and fingers, Aloysius can independently handle basic tasks in his daily life.

Just like any child, Aloysius’ daily routine revolves around waking up and going to school. Typically, his mother would send him to school and when Mr Gan gets to go into the office later, he spends his morning sending Aloysius to school. In the afternoon, Aloysius’ mum picks him up and sends him to Boccia training until the evening when he will return home for dinner and homework before going to bed. Admirably, Aloysius’ condition has hardly gotten the better of him and against the odds, he has succeeded in representing Singapore on the national team for Boccia and is a Gold medallist in the recent ASEAN Para Games and Asian Youth Para Games.

When Mr Gan takes care of Aloysius, he mentions that one of the most challenging times was the preparation for Aloysius’ Primary School Leaving Exam (PSLE). While his condition does not impact his IQ, Aloysius takes a longer time to grasp concepts and requires lots of practice papers. It was a tedious and repetitive process as Mr Gan had to go through a concept many times. Fortunately, Mr Gan and his wife divide and conquer as they split tasks to efficiently help Aloysius; Aloysius’ mother tackles Mathematics and English while Mr Gan teaches Science. Due to his condition, Aloysius cannot write and has to use a special keyboard that significantly slows him down, warranting almost double the time for each exam paper.

While it can get arduous at times, Mr Gan shares that the most important aspect of caring for Aloysius is finding out how to nurture and mentor him to inculcate the right attitude toward life; to ensure Aloysius has resilience and determination such that despite other people viewing him differently, he can nonetheless rise above it and accomplish his goals. Whether Aloysius succeeds or fails at doing something, Mr Gan always encourages Aloysius. He commends him or motivates him to try again so that Aloysius learns and grows from his experiences.

As a father holding a full-time job, Mr Gan may need to travel overseas for work once every 1 or 2 months. However, he finds that there is always a choice in life and does not feel stressed or burdened to take care of Aloysius. Although Mr Gan may be busy, he actively spends time with his family when he is off work or entire Saturdays with Aloysius in Boccia training. Whether it is family, friends or hobbies, he believes it is a personal preference to choose how time is spent and he chooses his family. Mr Gan feels the most joy when he bonds with Aloysius. Going overseas for competitions allows him to spend quality father-son time with Aloysius. Some of the most meaningful experiences Mr Gan holds dear include the adventure and little moments he shares with his son because whether it is victory or defeat, he sticks by his son. They will win, lose, suffer and share the glory together.

To him, it is the journey that counts, not the destination.

Thanks to Club Rainbow’s support, Aloysius has been receiving funding through the Talent Development Fund (TDF) over the last few years, enabling them to purchase better Boccia equipment and balls for training and competitions that boost Aloysius’ gameplay.

Lastly, Mr Gan wants to tell the world that whether it is cerebral palsy or other illnesses, it remains up to the individual to decide what it means for their life. With the support of family and friends, any child can realise their dream and not let their condition limit them. Mr Gan believes that everyone has the right to chase their dream and live a fulfilled life.

Among other competitions, Aloysius will be playing for Singapore in the 2023 ASEAN Para Games. We wish the father-son duo the best of luck and hope that you can share their story with your friends and family to raise awareness and support them in their journey.


Written by: HCI Project Butterfly Effect
Edited by: Club Rainbow (Singapore)

The first of many to come!

esplanade theatre

Claps of welcome broke through the silence of the theatre as our lovely and gentle Ms Tan Zhi Lin walked to the stage to take place by her soulmate, the Grand Piano.

Audiences immediately fell in love with the first presentation of the instrumental piece and needless to say more, they were captivated not only by the beautiful masterpieces but more so the sheer courage and calmness which our children displayed as they walked on the stage with such self-confidence.

In the weeks working up towards the day of self-actualisation in achieving the moment of displaying their talents before a hall of instrumental enthusiasts, there were ups and downs no doubt.

Club Rainbow Singapore & Concert

One of our young talent who is aspiring to be in the field of Linguistics Pathology have been playing the guzheng for more than ten years - Samuel Lim. We managed to speak with him just before his performance where he cheerfully shared, ‘Exhilarating moment for me because although I have performed before but never once with an orchestra.’ Samuel also took the opportunity to express his thanks and love for his family’s unwavering support over the years. He encourages and wants to affirm the children of Club Rainbow – ‘Do your best! But don’t forget to have fun!’

Definitely will be a memorable evening for Samuel and not only his parents but all the parents of Club Rainbow’s young performers as we caught up with Anastasia’s mother, Mdm Kim.

Almost overwhelmed by emotions and holding back a teary look, she gasped ‘We are blessed to be part of Club Rainbow Singapore (CRS), and that she (Anastasia) could get a chance to perform at the Esplanade theatre. Thank you, RedHat too.’ Expressing that her daughter loves drumming so much that she had to always remind Anastasia of other priorities like her studies. Much like Samuel, Anastasia’s 1st performing opportunity was at the Dreamseeds Art Fest 2016. No stopping this young girl as she drummed passionately, expressing her feelings through each beat that evening.

A proud moment not only for frontstage but also for Felicia Lee, the Senior Executive from our Programmes Development Department working behind the scenes. She has been helping to coordinate the weekly rehearsals since the start of the year, and highlighted ‘their efforts were truly paid off by their outstanding performance.’ One of the best moment for her was witnessing their improvement – ‘some of them have not had experience playing with a large orchestra before/or on such large stages, but they looked like pros!’

Jun Rong’s (another of our young talent whose passion lies with the harmonica) dedication of his performance to Felicia came as a sweet surprise for her to which she smiled in acceptance of his appreciation for her continued support and encouragement.

Our Council Member, Ms Karen Tan and Deputy Executive Director, Mr Teo Siang Loong, were both present to cheer on our children as they crossed an impressive milestone on stage. Overall, the event was one to remember for a long time to come. We hope that our children will have many more opportunities such as these to bring them further in their passion for music.

For more enquiries on organising similar events with our children, please reach out to us –crscpm@clubrainbow.org.

Life is just a Test or an Obstacle

Like one of the many lovable preschoolers joining Club Rainbow (Singapore) yearly, Loh Yi Jie who likes to be known as Leonel now, came to CRS many years ago in light of a blood disorder condition. All grown up with a strong passion for nursing whilst still harboring an aromatic subtle interest where it’s a daily dose of energy for all its lovers – Coffee! 

Leonel have been practising his barista skills since 2016 and was given the opportunity to pick up a Coffee Master Course, and eventually succeeded in attaining the highest level as a barista at Starbucks Coffee. A black aproned coffee master, he brewed some tasty coffee with the Starbucks flagship store at United Square until 2018.

His rainbow days as a preschooler to young child…

Apart from signing Leonel up for the various workshops, participating in CRS signature events and community partner organised shows over the many years, his mother was able to access the tuition support for him through the form of study awards.

The Education Awards is one area where it was very useful for the family. When applicants performed well academically, they will be rewarded with the cash award which helped with motivating individuals to focus on their studies and to excel beyond.

As Leonel got more involved and focused on his early years in education, CRS events held during school holidays made it so much easier for him to be able to join and have fun with these activities.

clubrainbow_singapore

Black Apron Coffee Master

A non-coffee lover, started out on his first part-time job with a local F&B outlet at the age of 16, to earn some pocket money. He went on to a fast food chain before discovering the seed of his interest buried deep within him through Starbucks. In fact, it was already ‘planted’ when he was doing his N levels as the popular coffee hangout was where he usually goes to for revision of subjects. There, he notices the way the coffee baristas were creating designs on the coffee foam which piqued his interest.

Now at 20, Leonel is able to tell the difference between the beans and the flavours. He shared, “During my training with the F&B coffee giant, I was expected to pick up the various methods of coffee brewing and barista services. From the use of espresso machine, Pour Over, Siphon to Chemex, etc. The training also helped to calibrate my palate and smell for identifying different tastes.” Just a book, one month and an assessment was what stands between him and a black apron (the Coffee Master title). Generally, it takes about 6 weeks, but Leonel took longer than others due to his studies and other commitments but he managed to pull through and now stand tall with pride, a proud owner of a black apron and presented as a qualified Coffee Master.

Being a skilled coffee barista is an interest where he hopes that in the near future with extra funds, time or as a retirement plan, he would be able to set up a café and share coffee appreciation with like minds. 

starbucks_barista

A Gentle touch of Passion

An outstanding barista he may be but his heart still lies with nursing and the reason for such a passion was partly because of his growing years where he is constantly in and out of the hospital, being able to witness first-hand the nurses and doctors doing their best for every patient that come through the Specialist Clinic. He could empathise and understood how the other patients felt.

Nursing became his passion since his teen years, he had a caring heart. Teachers have also attested to his caring nature, sensitivity and the ability to empathise with his peers was evident. Leonel openly shared, “I feel that there are others out there who are in much a worse predicament then I am”. He added, “I would always use myself as a form of motivation to my friends by sharing about my condition and encourage them when they feel discourage and lose faith in themselves.”

 

“Like standing broad jump, aim further, you will go further

but sometimes you fall short and fail, don’t Get Upset. Get up and dust yourself.

There are always other chances.”

 

To him, life is just a test or obstacle; it’s a matter of how you manage the obstacle. He is contented that he is able to pursue his goals and that he will keep pushing forward to achieve his dreams.

Talent Development Fund Insights

A peek into this year’s Talent Development Fund (TDF) shows an overall 15% increase in applications received as compared to last year with 55% coming from 2017 applicants, and for this year, we see at least 13% chose a new genre.

What is Talent Development Fund (TDF)_ The TDF is an annual reimbursement scheme by Club Rainbow Singapore (CRS) to recognise and nurture CRS beneficiaries’ non-academic talents and interests by moti (2).png
Exploringgenres (1).png

Over the years, our Programmes Development (PD) team have been reviewing and curating workshops, allowing beneficiaries to discover and develop their interests. This year a number of new programmes were added as Annabel Lee of PD indicates their focus is to look beyond from just creative workshops to programmes that act as a bridge to allow beneficiaries to take their interest and pursue it as a possible career option. This will create an impact on the beneficiaries’ lives by helping them to identify opportunities for social integration, develop their capabilities and ultimately to be independent today and ready for tomorrow, the future that awaits them.

‘We have been proactively identifying beneficiaries who display great interest, potential to commit in pursuit of discovering and developing that area of interest.’ commented Annabel. She is also happy to share, ‘for those who did enrolled in courses, a good majority have been making significant progress.’

The PD team works closely with the Social Work Department (SWD) who identifies and assists in reaching out to beneficiaries whom they felt has potential in the Arts; Community and Partnership Marketing (CPM) supports by spreading the awareness of TDF.

The TDF application for 2018 is closed now; do keep a lookout for our next round of TDF next year!