Turn your love for sports into a good cause by volunteering your skills and expertise. Three of our sportiest volunteers share how they found purpose in their passion.
Max Mew is living proof that age is no barrier when it comes to sport, giving back and learning. The 63-year-old is a full-time badminton coach, with decades of experience coaching the able bodied. He is currently volunteering at the Singapore Disability Sports Council (SDSC), as part of his attachment with the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) to be certified as a para coach.
“The rules for para badminton are very different from badminton… I find it fun to volunteer… I even umpired in the 2015 Paralympic Games,” he says.
“This is my interest. Even when I’m not coaching, I would gladly volunteer if needed. One thing people don’t realise is that these para athletes train just as hard as the abled bodied for competitions.”
Jia Yi, 26, has been volunteering with the Deaf Sports Association (DSA) for almost four years, helping to raise awareness of and participation in deaf sports among youth and women.
“I was introduced to join this committee by a friend who knew I was quite active in sports. One of my most memorable moments was being made the event manager for our 2nd National Deaf Games.”
This is Queen Buckay, one of the resident therapy horses at the Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA) and she works with children with disabilities.
“Hello everyone! I’m the #queenoftheherd over at RDA, and have been proudly volunteering as a therapy horse for the past three years. If you ever spot me with one of my many clients, just wave hi and I might neigh back! I love working with my kid clients. Some of them have never walked before. But by riding on me, together we can go places.
“My favourite treat? A nice crunchy apple will do just fine.”
