Yayasan Suria JB (YSJB) – Our nimbleness is our secret to our success!
With so many tasks at hand, from food banks to the never-ending cries for help and the many unexpected requests to do so many things, it is a constant challenge to meet all requests for assistance.
Flexibility and the willingness to change our schedules, depending on the urgency of each case/request come with experience and wisdom, with the best interest of our clients (the people we serve) at heart. This has been the constant drills/messages to our volunteers how to be nimbled and quickly adapt to the ever-changing situations as they evolve during the day – nothing is constant!
A typical day was today, Sat, 20/8/2022.
All were planned for 20/8/2022 (with notes written down on a piece of paper) when I got a call at 11 pm 19/8//2022 to be in Kulai, some 40 drive from my place of operation in Masai, to be in Kulai by 8.30 am to collect a cheque.
Quick messages to the 3 volunteers following me, rescheduling the pick-up times, a few calls to those people we promised to meet to pick up “goodies”.
Woke up at 6.30 am, picked up the first volunteer at Taman Megah Ria, Masai at 7.15 am, second volunteer at Plentong at 7.45 am and was off to Kulai by 8.15 am, attended to our chores (picked up cheque, etc), called a supporter/volunteer based in Kulai for the famous Hainanese beef noodles (to power us up) and it was a mad rush to Taman Uda in Tampoi to take a freezer, picked up a third volunteer from Taman Kim Teng, JB and delivered the freezer to a client in Taman Megah Ria. Done!
It was off to a clinic in Taman Century to collect carton boxes and plastic bottles for recycling (recommended by one of our donors). With a full load in our Toyota Hilux, it was off to a recycling factory in Plentong to dispose of the goods. A total of RM42 was collected for our kitty!
Dropped by at QI Bakery at Taman Permas Jaya to collect bread/buns for distribution to our clients.
Quick dash to Hong Leong Bank to transfer money to a girl who did well in her STPM examinations. RM400 for achieving “A”s!
Congrats girl!
She is now applying to study pharmacy in a local university and YSJB will be giving her a bursary of RM2,400 a year for the 4-year course.
No lunch as breakfast was heavy. Dropped off a volunteer at Plentong as he got some other things to do, back to our office at Jalan Bakawali Taman Johor Jaya to load up Promac milk, cooking oil, etc.
Dropped off another volunteer at Taman Kim Teng, JB. Our volunteers are free to go anytime they wish. With only 2 of us, it was off to Aloha Towers at Kolam Air to deliver Promac milk, umbrellas and jelly sweets to another NGO for distribution.
A quick dash back to Taman Megah Ria to deliver Promac milk, cooking oil and umbrellas was “interrupted” by a call from a Rohingya client, baby was sick, vomiting with high fever, with no money for transport to clinic, let alone pay for the doctor’s fees. It was raining then, about 5.00 pm, quick discussion with the volunteer who was driving whether he got the time to divert to Taman Desa Cemerlang, some 25 mins away.
Ok sign given and we were there to pick up mother and baby.
Off to a clinic in Taman Desa Cermerlang, checked-in at the clinic, waited and paid the bill (RM100) and a quick rush to drop off the mother/baby.
Another dash back to Megah Ria to drop off the Promac milk, cooking oil and umbrellas to 2 more NGOs. Done!
Dropped off the last volunteer (my driver for the day) at Taman Megah Ria and it was home-sweet-home by 7.00 pm.
What an eventful day with many “twists & turns”, serving everyone with L
ve and Humility! Everyone is happy and we are happier too just because someone cares to make others happy!