New initiative Walk for Hope aims to raise S$500,000 for those in need
The walkathon, organised by Ray of Hope, will rally around 2,000 participants
[SINGAPORE] Charity organisation Ray of Hope launched Walk for Hope on Tuesday (May 20) to raise about S$500,000 for various marginalised groups.
The 6 kilometre island-wide walkathon is set to take place on Aug 2, and aims to rally around 2,000 participants including individuals, walking community groups, schools and corporate partners.
The funds will go towards serving a range of individuals from marginalised groups, such as migrant workers, foreign domestic workers, and lower-income families and individuals. Walk for Hope also aims to raise awareness of the social issues they face.
In an interview with The Business Times, Dr Alicia Altorfer-Ong, executive director of Ray of Hope, said that the charity serves “emerging and unmet needs” in the community.
“That’s fairly broad, because we know that for as long as there’s a policy, there will be those who fall outside of it – either that, or they don’t have enough support in spite of receiving some. They might be, for example, migrant workers who face a sudden medical crisis or a family which suddenly encounters a fire and loses everything.”
Ray of Hope’s beneficiaries have mid to severe needs, she noted, adding that they usually have no other alternative forms of help.
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The registration fee to join Walk for Hope is S$60 per person, but Dr Ong acknowledged that this alone will not hit the S$500,000 target.
For this initiative, she hopes to tap peer-to-peer campaigns, where participants can bring onboard more people – such as friends, family members and colleagues – to join.
Ray of Hope is Singapore’s only crowdfunding charity, where it is referred cases and each one is verified by case workers.
They conduct home visits, evaluate the potential beneficiary’s situation and contact other stakeholders who may be involved before launching a crowdfunding campaign on their own online platform.
Dr Ong noted: “Unlike other crowdfunding platforms, which are for profit, we ensure that 100 per cent of donations go to clients on our platform. (Walk for Hope) is one way that we can get enough funds for our operations, which include case management and meeting the clients where they are.”
In addition to one crowdfunding campaign per individual, Ray of Hope also organises community-building events. It has run several pilot programmes for various marginalised groups to engage with the community on a larger scale. One such example is Kopi Teh Morning.
“We involved three youths on the autism spectrum, and over the last year, we brought them to 16 engagement sessions with four different corporates so that they could have social engagement opportunities in a professional setting,” Dr Ong said, adding that the charity hopes to scale up this programme this year. The youths are now able to qualify for day activity centres or sheltered workshops after this additional exposure.
Many of Ray of Hope’s community-building events are tied to festivals or special occasions, such as Chinese New Year or Ramadan. The charity involves former clients who become volunteers and continues to engage them.
Dr Ong added: “(Community-building) is designed to give people the resources and cash in hand, and include them in a broader community through volunteer efforts and events.”
Since 2012, Ray of Hope has raised around S$21 million and helped more than 1,200 families.
Those interested in registering for Walk for Hope can visit https://walk.rayofhope.sg/.
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