FAQs about Blossom Home Refresh

Where are the areas that Blossom Home Refresh serve?

Blossom Home Refresh reaches out to whichever areas that need our help. The areas we have covered include Senja, Ang Mo Kio, Geylang East and Telok Blangah. There is definitely more to come in the future and we look forward to serve more areas island-wide.

Who will I be helping?

Primarily, we will be helping seniors who are staying alone or together with an aged spouse/ flat-mate/ next of kin, in rental units. We also help seniors or families who may have little or no familial support, and/or little or no financial support, and/or disabilities, on a case by case basis, which may be referred from our community partners.

Is there an age limit to volunteer for this event?

As we will be working with individuals that require special care and handling personal items, all volunteers must be at least 13 years of age by the year of registration to take part in this project. Volunteers may be paired with other like-minded individuals to work together as a team.

What if I am a first timer doing Blossom Home Refresh volunteering and have no prior experience?

Don’t worry. We know many of you are first timers. Hence, BWS will be having a briefing cum sharing session prior to the actual event, to provide volunteers with a better understanding of the operation process and befriending tips etc. Through this, volunteers would be more prepared and would attain a more meaningful volunteering experience.

What should I wear/ bring?

Due to space constraint in some units, we encourage all volunteers to travel light. For identification purpose, a volunteer tee (blue kindness tee) will be provided. We also highly recommend our volunteer to wear light-coloured bottom and covered shoe for safety purposes.

Will there be a briefing prior to the event and what will be covered?

Yes! In the volunteer briefing, we will cover the general timeline and operation aspect on the day of event, Do's and Don'ts, befriending tips which would be useful during the actual day, Q&A etc.

What will be my job scope on that day?

Typically, you may be expected to do the following:
         • Cleaning of the living room, kitchen, toilet, bedroom
         • Painting of the living room, kitchen, toilet, bedroom, main door
         • Sorting, de-cluttering, organising, moving and disposing of items and/or furniture (may be bulky and heavy!)
         • Fixing new furniture such as metal bed frame
         • Simple general repair such as changing light bulb
         • And interaction with the senior! (We wanna give them social support too!) =) But fret not! A checklist will be provided to each team as a guideline on the areas that need attention on the day of the event.

May I know the schedule for the actual day?

Blossom Home Refresh starts from 9am to 5pm. Generally, most units would be completed around 3pm. However, depending on the home condition and the scope of work required to be done, some units do need to extend to 5pm. For volunteers who finished earlier, you can either choose to go back home to rest after a long day, or offer your help to those units which are still in progress. Lunch would be provided and brought to the units around 12nn to 1pm. We encourage volunteers to have lunch together with the beneficiary and the other team members to provide social support and care. Please do bring your own utensils in effort to reduce one-time plastic waste and help save the earth.

What will be provided?

Cleaning and painting set will be provided. Lunch and water, a volunteer tee-shirt and CIP hours (if applicable) will also be provided. Do bring along your own water bottle to stay hydrated.

How many volunteers will be attached to a unit? Will I get to be in a team with my friends?

Each unit is different. Depending on the complexity, space constraint and the amount of work that needs to be completed, around 4 to 10 volunteers will be attached to a unit. We understand that some of you would want to do volunteering work with your friends and we will try our best to group you and your friends together. However, due to the home conditions and the language spoken by the senior, we might have to separate you.

What if I accidentally injured myself during the event? Am I covered by any insurance?

If you have injured yourself, please inform your team leader or any of the district leader/ staff who will be patrolling the ground. For insurance, BWS will be getting a group accident insurance for every volunteers who signed up (with a valid identification number- NRIC/ FIN/ Birth Cert/ Passport number) for the event.

Would there be anyone at home during Blossom Home Refresh?

We will remind the senior/ residents about the event time and date. Prior to the event date, the senior/ residents will be encouraged to be present throughout the event so that volunteers can consult them in the work process such as decluttering or moving the furniture. BWS would also encourage our volunteers to take this opportunity to befriend them and offer them social support.

What if the beneficiary requests something outside my job scope?

Prior to the actual event, a house visit has already been conducted to communicate with the beneficiary on the areas to work on. Should there be any area of dispute, team leaders are to inform our district leaders, who will be patrolling the area. Please refrain from promising anything other than the assigned work especially in terms of monetary. For any special request, please notify us.

Can I take any pictures with the residents of the units?

As part of the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA), please seek consent from the residents of the unit(s) before taking any photos with them and posting them on your social media. Photographer will be engaged to go around the units to take photos. BWS will then post the photographs taken during Blossom Home Refresh on our social media and website after the event.

What should I do with the pest and bed bug?

For rental estates, it is pretty common to have bed bug infestations. Units with such problems would have been identified during the house visits prior to the event by our staffs and volunteers, and proper fumigation services would be engaged either days before the event or in the morning (we try to maximise the day for the senior).

If I do not speak the language of the beneficiary, what should I do?

In additional of providing a better and healthier environment for the seniors, Blossom Home Refresh also aims to enhance intergeneration cohesion. Speaking a language that is familiar to the senior will help to bridge the communication gap and creates a more interactive and fruitful volunteering experience. Hence, we will try to match and assign at least one volunteer that speaks the preferred language of the senior, to each unit.

If the senior want to give me a gift to thank for my work, what shall I do?

We strongly advise volunteers not to take any valuable items (can also be items that hold sentimental value) from the senior. If they insist, please inform our district leader and we will pass the gift to our community partner who is taking care of them.

What should I do if I have any problems?

Should you have any issues queries on that day of event, please notify any of our district leader who will be patrolling the area. Alternatively, you can also approach any one of our volunteers/ staffs who will be wearing a Blossom World tee.

How can I proceed with group registration for Blossom Home Refresh?

Blossom Home Refresh is a labour-intensive project and we rely heavily on our volunteers to help as many households as possible. As such, we welcome all group registration to join us and please email us at contactus@blossomworld.sg and we will get back to you shortly.

Blossom Home Refresh is a meaningful project but I have no time to volunteer on that day. How else can I support this cause?

BWS takes pride to ensure Blossom Home Refresh is well planned and coordinated, safe and suitable for the public to join. As a non-profit, non-government, volunteer-driven charity organisation, BWS relies heavily on our supporters to help us fund our work and volunteering programmes. Please click on the link and enter project code “BHR with your name and contact details” to make a direct donation to this project. Amounts above $50 will be issued tax-deductible receipt.