IMPACT 0519: TURNING PASSION PROJECTS INTO ACTS OF COMPASSION

Hello! My name is Jeraldine. I’m 20 this year and currently pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts at NTU’s School of Art, Design and Media. Most people know me as someone creative and easy-going. When I’m not working on my design projects, I’m always up for meeting new people and listening to their stories.

What most people may not know about me is that more than my love for art is my love for people. One of my biggest goals in life is to turn my passions into compassions by bringing my love for art and people together. This was what compelled me to start a fundraising project for India’s COVID-19 oxygen crisis in 2021.

At the start, there was much self-doubt. Having never participated in a fundraising project alone before, let alone initiated one, I was at a loss of where to begin. However, I told myself to overcome my fear and to do it anyway. After posting a series of self-illustrated art prints on Instagram and sharing about the fundraiser, what ensued was a multitude of encouraging responses.

We raised some $826, all of which was used to help with the purchase of oxygen tanks and ventilators in India.

And it didn’t just stop there. A few months later, my mum approached me with the idea of a Christmas fundraiser for Children’s Cancer Foundation (CCF), in memory of my grandmother who had passed on from cancer during Christmas 2020.

Fueled by the mini success of the contributions to India’s COVID-19 relief, we set out to provide an avenue for people to buy their Christmas presents while contributing to supporting the programmes and services at CCF, by selling soft toys and merchandise. A total of $1,930 was raised and it was the best Christmas gift, knowing that the money would help children battling cancer and their families.

If you want to do something for your community, do it. Even if you don’t know where to start. Talk to people, collaborate, but don’t just let your passion or ideas stay as ideas. I hope to see this generation use their gifts to keep on giving to this world, and I hope that my creations would impact the world in a powerful way.

– Martin Luther King Jr.