A Familiar Face at the Sheltered Workshop – Wang Kian Kim

Mr Wang Kian Kim always brings his pleasant smiles and affability to the clients of SPD at the Sheltered Workshop. Find out how he started his volunteering journey five years ago.

Mr Wang Kian Kim brings his pleasant smiles and affability to the clients of SPD as he helps out at the Sheltered Workshop. On his fifth anniversary volunteering at SPD, Mr Wang shares with UPDATES on how he started his volunteering  journey.

Shortly after his retirement in 2014, Mr Wang, 70, asked his friend to help him look for volunteering opportunities. That is how he came to know about SPD. As SPD Ability Centre is not too far from his place, he started volunteering with SPD and it has been five years since.

Mr Wang helps out at the Sheltered Workshop with the packing of goodie bags for events, assembling items like festive decorations, as well as quality checks to ensure that the items are packed correctly. He usually stays for half a day when he comes. “I have some time in the afternoon, so I come to help out a little,” he said.

Mr Wang is an active senior who spends his mornings handling household chores and evenings taking care of his grandchildren. Afternoon is a period when he has more time for himself where he took up classes, such as computing and languages courses, and finds time to volunteer at SPD, whenever possible. During less busy periods at the Sheltered Workshop, he also makes effort to drop-by to visit the clients. “I know most of the clients here and they will call me ‘uncle, uncle’, whenever I am here,” he shared. As years go by, he has gotten to know many of their personal stories.

Mr Wang helps with the packing of items at the Sheltered Workshop
Mr Wang helps with the packing of items at the Sheltered Workshop

Sheltered Workshop trainee Lee Seng Ngiap has known Mr Wang since day one. “Mr Wang doesn’t mind any tasks and will help in different areas around the workshop. He is friendly and will crack jokes with us. When he goes travelling, he will also buy goodies to share with us,” he described.

“Mr Wang is a familiar face at the Sheltered Workshop and the clients are comfortable in his presence. I am happy to see valuable friendship formed between him and the clients,” said senior workshop supervisor Tan Lee Huan.

Besides being a volunteer, Mr Wang also supports SPD in other ways. “During the SPD Charity Show, I told my friends that I volunteer here and encouraged them to donate,” he recounted. “I have also asked some of my friends to join me in volunteering. Some of them tried, though it didn’t work out.”

Mr Wang believes that one who should remain active and be engaged in something meaningful. “If I stay at home, I will just be watching television. Coming here makes me happier,” he shared. He feels that there are many ways that volunteer could help and he hopes that more people would consider volunteering.

Thank you Mr Wang for your dedication!