The Charity Fun Fair,

		Mon, Dec 15, 2008 my paper
Realtors with a heart
SUNDAYS are usually the most productive day of the week for real-estate agents such as Mr Ivan Goh, as they are booked by many clients for home viewings. But yesterday, Mr Goh, 32, and 90 of his fellow agents from HSR Property Group spent their time at a charity fun fair they organised to raise funds for Evercare Welfare Centre. Mr Goh, who is also the vice-president for the company's resale division, was up at 3am yesterday to prepare rice for his Japanese food stall at the fun fair. The company's senior vice-president (resale division), Mr Dennis Tay, 45, said the agents had declared yesterday their 'no-business day'. 'We are all very happy to be here to help,' he said. Held at a multi-purpose court next to Block 27, Jalan Membina, in the Tiong Bahru area, there were 30 stalls at the fun fair selling food, clothes, toys, and car accessories as well as games stalls - all manned by HSR property agents, volunteers from Evercare Welfare Centre and the residents' committee in the neighbourhood. There was also the chance to belt out karaoke hits onstage at $2 a song. Last week, the agents went door to door in several estates in the central and western parts of Singapore to sell coupon booklets of $10 each. They also found corporate sponsors such as biscuit company Khong Guan, which provided the steamed buns for sale. HSR raised about $7,400 from the fun fair, and the sum will go towards Evercare's new premises at Block 26B, Jalan Membina. The organisation - which runs various programmes for needy families and the elderly, including financial support, food rations and befriending services - needs between $20,000 and $30,000 for the new premises. Said Mr Mark Leong, 32, president of Evercare Welfare Centre: 'Fifty per cent of the money will be used to set up the new centre...and the other 50 per cent will be used for running costs, like utilities.' Yesterday's fun fair was the first charity project undertaken by a group of HSR property agents who call themselves 'Realtors with a Heart'. Mr Tay, who is one of the founding members, said that he was thankful for the volunteers who sacrificed their precious Sunday. The agents' dedication and enthusiasm for charity was, perhaps, a reflection of their chief executive's belief that giving back to society is an 'integral part of life'. CEO Patrick Liew, 51, told my paper that he was born into a 'very, very poor family', and grew up in the Jalan Besar area, which, at that time, was quite a rough neighbourhood. But he found guidance from youth workers who worked in the area. 'There were a lot of people who made sacrifices, spent time with me and transformed my life. As a result, I always feel that I need to give something back,' said Mr Liew, who has been volunteering with various organisations since he was 15. To encourage volunteer work at HSR, the company gives three days of paid leave to its 8,000 employees to let them volunteer at any charity of their choice, said Mr Liew. This is on top of their annual leave entitlement.