Grant A Wish
History
One of our most eminent and popular projects, Grant A Wish (or GAW) plays Santa by granting the wishes of needy children through our NUS population as well as the general public’s generosity. Children from needy homes write their wishes for various items on slips of paper, which are then granted by students of NUS and, more recently, the public.
Grant A Wish 2008
Each year, Grant A Wish takes on a particular theme and GAW 2008 was no exception. This year, Project Directors Janicia Koh, Jenny Ong and Germaine He, along with their 18 other organizing committee members, danced to the theme of “Never too magical to be true”, quoted from Aladdin, our all-time favourite Walt Disney movie. And indeed, Grant A Wish 2008 has been a magical journey, grant the wishes of 409 children in a span of six months, from 5 different Caves of Wonders- Grace Orchard School, Singapore Association for the Deaf, Children’s Aid Society, Child@St11 and Beyond Services. The first two months saw the visitation to these Caves of Wonders on different occasions to collect Children’s Day wishes from their lovely children in a one-day fun filled event with lots of games and interaction with our beloved volunteers.
Back at the palace of Agrabah (NUS) in September, the collected wishes were put up for adoption at 3 different venues- along AS7 Arts Walkway, outside Engine LT6 and Science LT25. 370 wishes were granted by kind hearted citizens of Agrabah (the students and staff from NUS), and the remaining were granted with the help of our sponsor, the Genies at the HP centre. Just then, at a secret corner of the palace (CSC Clubroom), a series of conspiracies was being planned to surprise the children with their granted wishes. It involved a high time of gift collection, wrapping and sorting of gifts and mega preparations for the parties.
To better cater to the needs of the children, 3 different parties were organized, with vastly different activities and agendas. The first was held at the Arts Central Forum whereby children from Children’s Aid Society, Child@St 11 and Beyond Services reveled in an exhilarating, one day long carnival style like post-Children’s Day party. The highlight came when the children received their long awaited presents which they have fervently wished for. The party at Grace Orchard School was a totally different but unique experience as it saw the participation of special children in a performance specially put up for them - a skit, song and dance session and a magic show. It was definitely a heart-warming sight to see the thrilled and delighted faces of the children as they enjoyed themselves at the party and when received their presents, proving that their wishes did come true! The last party, held at the Singapore Association for the Deaf, was a silent but an extremely memorable experience. Besides the point that the children would be receiving their gifts, it was reassuring for the volunteers to see how contented these children were, reveling in the simple activities that the palace mates had specially planned for them, particularly balloon sculpting, drawing and colouring and gift making. All the parties ended with a mass photo taking session to capture the picturesque moment whereby most of the attendees of the parties had smiles on their faces. There was absolutely no better way to end the party.
Though some may feel that the children in Singapore are fortunate and have been well-taken care of, there is always a group, hankering for our love and attention. Let’s not forget these kids and spread the joy of giving to these little corners of the island. Let us show them that dreams really do come true, when you believe!
Stay tuned for Grant A Wish 2009!