The son of veteran grassroots volunteers, Sarkunan used to have negative thoughts about community work as a child. He felt it was a way to lure people into doing things for the community without the need to pay them.

One day, his parents received a call about an urgent case at Toa Payoh. Though he was not really concerned, he followed them reluctantly and discovered, to his astonishment, a man stuck under the bed and a woman lying on the bed - dead!

That man could not accept that his partner was gone and he did not know what to do. Sarkunan journeyed with him and shared his woes and regrets about how he took his life for granted and wasted his younger days. On the day the man died, Sarkunan asked himself, “Would I want to end up like him?”

Sarkunan was only 16 years old then. But that incident struck a chord in him and he has never stopped serving the community ever since. He actively organizes his team of volunteers in his Residents' Committee to look into welfare needs for his neighbourhood which consists of many low-income earners. He also appoints Block Ambassadors as first-lines-of-contact for residents, and organizes regular activities to bring residents together.

“It has not always been easy, but when the going gets tough, I'd remember Winston Churchill's words – ‘ The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty' ,” he said.

Many have asked him, “with your workload and extensive time in Community work, do you have time with your family?” He would just smile and say, “Our family time is never lost because, in most of our community work, we are involved as a family, each doing our part.”

Like Sarkunan, community work can enrich you and pave the way for you to grow with your community. It is a challenging but a rewarding experience. You have to be part of it to realise it!

Contact your Residents' Committee to find out more.

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