CAPTain Spotlight 5 of 9: Handmade with Love

Article written by Mark Ngoh, Angelica Ang, Bryan Goh & Grace Cheong

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented upheaval to the world, and to Singapore, forcing the nation into a period of Circuit Breaker in efforts to curb the spread of the virus. Even as our economy and society reopen, it is evident that the pandemic has brought, and will continue to bring unique challenges to different communities in Singapore.

Although these times have been rife with uncertainty and unknowns for many of us, several CAPTains, both past and present, have gone above and beyond to play their part in making a difference — no matter how big or small — in our community. The Active Community Engagement (ACE) wing in CAPT has launched an initiative, CAPTain Spotlight, to share the stories of these CAPTains. Through this initiative, we curate and share the narratives of nine individuals/groups of CAPTains who have embodied the ACE spirit – actively engaging with the communities in their midst. This is the fifth of our ‘Spotlight’ stories.

CAPTain Spotlight 5: Handmade with Love

One of the most prominent needs of our contemporary Singaporean society is that of mental health services. The pandemic has brought much instability and change to our lives. From transitioning to working and schooling at home, to job insecurity in these times of recession, these changes brought about by the pandemic have undeniably been a source of much distress for many, including the youth.

This led Beverly (CAPT Alumna) to kickstart the Mental Care United campaign. Through her campaign, she teamed up with fellow local creators and businesses to pledge a percentage of their profits to support the Silver Ribbon Singapore platform which aims to combat stigma against mental health, encourage early help and facilitate the integration of people with mental illness through the promotion of mental health literacy. The non-profit organisation also provides free counselling services in this time of need.

Leading the charge, Beverly has pledged 20% of the profits from her two businesses — handmade jewellery store “For Old Times’ Sake Co.”, and bakery “SN Bakery Co.”, from mid-May to early June.

Throughout the campaign, she realised that some of the most supportive proponents of her campaign were her friends in CAPT. Many helped to spread awareness for the campaign and the campaign gained considerable traction from the beginning. However, Beverly’s team did face a plateau in donations at the midpoint. This led the team to recalibrate their marketing strategy, shifting their gears to reach out to profiles with a larger and wider social media following. This subsequently boosted donations towards the campaign.

Beverly shared that her experience in CAPTSmile had a large influence on the way she structured her campaign. In particular, she learnt how to analyse the needs of the community and to seek out effective ways to give back to her community. Small local businesses were hit particularly hard by COVID-19 and the introduction of circuit breaker measures. Many businesses, including those in the F&B and fashion industries, are struggling to stay afloat. Some have been forced to close their shutters permanently as they were unable to cope with digitalisation and the overall decrease in demand. Therefore, Beverly felt that supporting local businesses was essential in her campaign.

In many ways, this pandemic has challenged us to rethink how we can continue to best serve the needs of our community given the limitations in physical interaction. However, the one thing that has stayed the same is our heart to serve. Beverly would like to encourage us to find a small community of like-minded individuals who believe in the same causes we do and contribute in our own little ways. CAPTains would always have your back and support you in any way we can.

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