How it All Began...
Lighting Hearts Lighting Homes (LHLH) is a ground up initiative which was incepted in October 2013 by a few like-minded individuals who came together to spread festive cheer to underprivileged families in our midst.
It all started as a desire to make a small difference in the lives of underprivileged elderly and families. With the festival of Lights around the corner, it was decided that it would be a nice gesture to provide those in need with festive goods and Ang Baos during the festive season as a way to lighten up their festive moods. Thus, we set out on raising $2,000 to help 20 identified households. However, in less than a day, there was an overwhelming amount of donations from family and friends, enabling us to raise a total of $14,500. That was when it dawned upon us that there were so many people in the community who were willing to help the less fortunate, but did not know how they could do so. Lighting Hearts Lighting Homes, as we termed it then, ended up sprucing up several elderly homes, helping 80 households, 60 migrant workers and 28 boys at the Ramakrishnan Mission on its maiden outreach.
Today, LHLH continues to provide a platform for those who want to make a difference and connects them with those who will benefit from the help extended.
We hope that you would join us in this journey of ours. For the Community, By the Community!
It all started as a desire to make a small difference in the lives of underprivileged elderly and families. With the festival of Lights around the corner, it was decided that it would be a nice gesture to provide those in need with festive goods and Ang Baos during the festive season as a way to lighten up their festive moods. Thus, we set out on raising $2,000 to help 20 identified households. However, in less than a day, there was an overwhelming amount of donations from family and friends, enabling us to raise a total of $14,500. That was when it dawned upon us that there were so many people in the community who were willing to help the less fortunate, but did not know how they could do so. Lighting Hearts Lighting Homes, as we termed it then, ended up sprucing up several elderly homes, helping 80 households, 60 migrant workers and 28 boys at the Ramakrishnan Mission on its maiden outreach.
Today, LHLH continues to provide a platform for those who want to make a difference and connects them with those who will benefit from the help extended.
We hope that you would join us in this journey of ours. For the Community, By the Community!
Aims & Objectives
Lighting Hearts Lighting Homes (LHLH) as a ground initiative, hopes in its own small way to be able to spread cheer, love and respite from the daily humdrum and difficulties by visiting the underprivileged amongst us in the community during annual festivities. Every year, during the festive periods, LHLH raises funds and donations in kind from friends and families to bring homemade festive goodies, along with basic/ festive essentials and cash Ang Baos to homes of underprivileged elderly, single parents and families. Through this humble gesture, we hope to reach out to less fortunate and remind them that they are not forgotten.
This ground up initiative also brings together people from all walks, from a student to a savvy professional and businessman, to contribute, pack and distribute the ‘love filled festive packs’ to beneficiaries. Through this gesture, we hope to make a small difference in the life of a total stranger, and in doing so, reflect and light many homes and hearts.
To ensure that every donation in cash and kind that we receive goes to the beneficiaries, all donations in cash and in kind are duly accounted for, through our acknowledgement of receipt and also dual check mechanisms by the project’s lead and team members. Donations ranged from $10 to $2000 and every transfer is meticulously recorded. We also update all the information on this website for every yearly installment.
We hope that you would join us in this journey of ours. You too can make a difference!
This ground up initiative also brings together people from all walks, from a student to a savvy professional and businessman, to contribute, pack and distribute the ‘love filled festive packs’ to beneficiaries. Through this gesture, we hope to make a small difference in the life of a total stranger, and in doing so, reflect and light many homes and hearts.
To ensure that every donation in cash and kind that we receive goes to the beneficiaries, all donations in cash and in kind are duly accounted for, through our acknowledgement of receipt and also dual check mechanisms by the project’s lead and team members. Donations ranged from $10 to $2000 and every transfer is meticulously recorded. We also update all the information on this website for every yearly installment.
We hope that you would join us in this journey of ours. You too can make a difference!
Over the Years...
2017 is LHLH’s 5th year of operation. When we started in 2013, we managed to raise $14,500 in cash and in kind within 18 hours. Over several days we transported, spring cleaned, packed and delivered festive packs to 56 needy families. Above this, we also handed out $50 cash/vouchers to 80 over families and bought shoes for 28 boys from the Ramakrishna Boys Home. We also had a chance to reach out to about 60 foreign workers, providing a few hundred kilos of rice, groceries, phone cards to call their loved ones during the festive season.
In 2014 we raised close to $35,000 in cash and in kind in 3 weeks; and were able to reach 258 families across the island. This time we had the help of individuals whom came forward to transport the packs to various locations across the island too. This led to the project adopting the model of “Volunteer with Vehicles” for the subsequent years. It involved individuals with cars coming forward to help deliver goodie bags and cash Ang Baos to the beneficiaries.
In 2015, we received a grand total of $82,002.51. In cash, $56,804 and approximately $25,198.51 in donations in kind - the estimates for donations in kind is based on online and retail prices of the items that were donated. Each festive pack was definitely worth more than $100 each and weighed close to more than 15kgs each. Hence, we were blessed to have been able to reach out to more than 580 households.
In 2016, we set out to reach out to around 650 households and aimed to raise $60,000 in cash and $30,000 worth of donations in kind. However, we raised closed to $103,000 from our supporters and well-wishers instead. Hence, we increased our outreach to more than 750 households, including Sree Narayanan Mission, Project Smile Ltd, MINDS and also purchasing 2 refurbished motorized wheelchairs and manual wheelchair for 3 special individuals, so that the help will go beyond this festive period.
In 2014 we raised close to $35,000 in cash and in kind in 3 weeks; and were able to reach 258 families across the island. This time we had the help of individuals whom came forward to transport the packs to various locations across the island too. This led to the project adopting the model of “Volunteer with Vehicles” for the subsequent years. It involved individuals with cars coming forward to help deliver goodie bags and cash Ang Baos to the beneficiaries.
In 2015, we received a grand total of $82,002.51. In cash, $56,804 and approximately $25,198.51 in donations in kind - the estimates for donations in kind is based on online and retail prices of the items that were donated. Each festive pack was definitely worth more than $100 each and weighed close to more than 15kgs each. Hence, we were blessed to have been able to reach out to more than 580 households.
In 2016, we set out to reach out to around 650 households and aimed to raise $60,000 in cash and $30,000 worth of donations in kind. However, we raised closed to $103,000 from our supporters and well-wishers instead. Hence, we increased our outreach to more than 750 households, including Sree Narayanan Mission, Project Smile Ltd, MINDS and also purchasing 2 refurbished motorized wheelchairs and manual wheelchair for 3 special individuals, so that the help will go beyond this festive period.
Beneficiaries
The beneficiaries for each year’s initiative are selected in consultation with municipal help agencies, Family Services Centres and Voluntary Welfare Organizations at each vicinity island wide. Most of our recipients are elderly or disabled persons living alone, single parents and other deserving households through referrals.
Names of organizations that we worked with in the past and present:
Thye Hua Kwan Moral Services
Sree Narayana Mission
TOUCH Community Services
Fei Yue Community Services
AWWA
Singapore Sikh Council (SIWEC)
@27 Family Services Centre
Kerta Ayer Family Services
Viriya Family Services Centre
Thong Keng Senior Activities Centre (Queenstown/ Henderson and Dawson)
MINDS
Project Smile Ltd
Cerebral Palsy Association of Singapore
Ramakrishna Mission
Direct referrals from friends and relatives.
Names of organizations that we worked with in the past and present:
Thye Hua Kwan Moral Services
Sree Narayana Mission
TOUCH Community Services
Fei Yue Community Services
AWWA
Singapore Sikh Council (SIWEC)
@27 Family Services Centre
Kerta Ayer Family Services
Viriya Family Services Centre
Thong Keng Senior Activities Centre (Queenstown/ Henderson and Dawson)
MINDS
Project Smile Ltd
Cerebral Palsy Association of Singapore
Ramakrishna Mission
Direct referrals from friends and relatives.
The People whom make it happen
All of this wouldn’t have been possible without love, believe and kind assistance from our family, friends, supporters and well-wishers of our community. Most importantly the many strangers and volunteers who came forward to the call for action to bake cookies, pack and personally deliver the festive packs to underprivileged homes island wide.
To us, this is a true testament of how every ONE of us could make a difference in our own way and share the joys of giving to a total stranger... “TO GIVE IS TO RECEIVE”
To us, this is a true testament of how every ONE of us could make a difference in our own way and share the joys of giving to a total stranger... “TO GIVE IS TO RECEIVE”
Media Coverage
https://www.facebook.com/tamilnewsmediacorp/videos/828655530499038/?pnref=story
https://www.facebook.com/tamilnewsmediacorp/videos/1023891437642112/
https://www.facebook.com/lightingheartslightinghomes/
https://pride.kindness.sg/lighting-hearts-deepavali/
http://www.tabla.com.sg/jr/jrpc.php?param=2016-10-28&page=12
https://www.facebook.com/tamilnewsmediacorp/videos/1267519799945940/?hc_ref=PAGES_TIMELINE
https://www.facebook.com/kindnessSG/videos/10154040402373053/?hc_ref=PAGES_TIMELINE
https://www.facebook.com/lightingheartslightinghomes/videos/623498901165092/
https://www.facebook.com/k.shanmugam.page/videos/950792951633902/
http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/lighting-hearts-and-spreading-early-deepavali-cheer-to-750-needy-families
http://www.tnp.sg/news/singapore-news/spreading-light-and-joy-deepavali
http://www.theguru.sg/articles/0916/light-up-someones-heart-home-for-deepavali.html
http://mothership.sg/2016/10/volunteer-led-deepavali-charity-drive-raises-more-than-100000-in-cash-and-kind-for-beneficiaries/
https://www.facebook.com/tamilnewsmediacorp/videos/1023891437642112/
https://www.facebook.com/lightingheartslightinghomes/
https://pride.kindness.sg/lighting-hearts-deepavali/
http://www.tabla.com.sg/jr/jrpc.php?param=2016-10-28&page=12
https://www.facebook.com/tamilnewsmediacorp/videos/1267519799945940/?hc_ref=PAGES_TIMELINE
https://www.facebook.com/kindnessSG/videos/10154040402373053/?hc_ref=PAGES_TIMELINE
https://www.facebook.com/lightingheartslightinghomes/videos/623498901165092/
https://www.facebook.com/k.shanmugam.page/videos/950792951633902/
http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/lighting-hearts-and-spreading-early-deepavali-cheer-to-750-needy-families
http://www.tnp.sg/news/singapore-news/spreading-light-and-joy-deepavali
http://www.theguru.sg/articles/0916/light-up-someones-heart-home-for-deepavali.html
http://mothership.sg/2016/10/volunteer-led-deepavali-charity-drive-raises-more-than-100000-in-cash-and-kind-for-beneficiaries/
For any enquiries, please email: lightingheartslightinghomes@gmail.com