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11:46 PM Sunday, June 13, 2010
{ 1ST STREET SALES! }
It was a bright and sunny Sunday morning, but unlike any other Sundays, this Sunday was extremely meaningful to us as it marked the start of our official street sales with volunteers. We decided to adopt a different strategy; thanks to the many learning points which we picked up from our recee trip on Fri!
We lowered the price of our products to $2, did up bigger and more attractive posters which explained our cause and VWO more clearly (kudos to Cheryl who spent hours on it!), and brought along some samples for people to try to show them that what we were selling were really delicious jellybeans, not medicine (well, even though they are supposed to look like pills)!
For our volunteers, we prepared info sheets, English-Mandarin translations, street sales licenses, emergency contacts, and appreciation cards! These wonderfully kind people who were there to help out were not getting CIP hours at all; they were doing it out of good will, and we truly appreciate it and thank them at the bottom of our hearts! (please refer to thanks section for specific names!)
We set off at around 11 and had lunch and dinner in between our batches of volunteers, and ended the day at about 7.30pm (with only three of us left!) but we managed to sell a total of 207 bottles in all, which is a feat and marked improvement from the last time! ONCE AGAIN, WE THANK ALL WHO GENEROUSLY BOUGHT AND/OR HELPED TO SELL OUR JELLYBEANS!
Other than the profits, I guess what was more important was what we learnt from the entire experience of street sales. Learning to be thick skinned and vocal, learning to accept rejection and failure, learning to persevere and stay determined despite the incessant bouts of “drought” (when there is no sales at all) , all these are part and parcel of the experience which we will treasure and apply in future to our lives.
Street sales also got us to see what the world was like, and both the good and not-so-good side of people. There were those who came forward and paid more than what a bottle was worth before walking off without taking a bottle of jellybeans; whereas there were also those who walked away without even hearing you out! (at some point in time, I felt like Violet from The Incredibles – yes, invisible) Well, I made a promise to make a little effort to shake my head gently or say “no, thank you” in future whenever people approach me!
Quotes from our volunteers
“I thought it would suck, like nobody would want to buy and I’d get very depressed…but it was fun! There were really nice people like a female cleaner who gave us two bucks without taking anything in return!” Fiona Lim
"Through this superlative experience i became ascertained the intricate yet adroit techniques of street sales with some remaining reticent and others even furtive- but i managed to sell a satisfactory amount and have No qualms about helping out again (:" Ang Wei Loong
Photos!
WHERE WE GATHERED OUR VOLUNTEERS
THANK YOU CARDS FOR OUR VOLUNTEERS!
SAMPLES!!
THE MASSIVE LOAD TO CLEAR!
YEAAA I AM A VOLUNTEER MAN~
Cheryl and her pretty posters (which helped us secure a great number of customers) - even though she keeps insisting they're ugly! They're fabulous, aren't they?
(Left) three members from Youth CrusAIDers! (right) the three musketeers! (centre) the powerpuff girls!
Together, WE SAVE LIVES! (It was a waste that we forgot to take a photo after Yunfei and Bryson, the hardworking pair, came back! We forgot to take a picture with the volunteers from the second shift as well!---Sabrina and Eusebio D'Almeida)
Posted by: Yuan Teng
11:46 PM Sunday, June 13, 2010
{ 1ST STREET SALES! }
It was a bright and sunny Sunday morning, but unlike any other Sundays, this Sunday was extremely meaningful to us as it marked the start of our official street sales with volunteers. We decided to adopt a different strategy; thanks to the many learning points which we picked up from our recee trip on Fri!
We lowered the price of our products to $2, did up bigger and more attractive posters which explained our cause and VWO more clearly (kudos to Cheryl who spent hours on it!), and brought along some samples for people to try to show them that what we were selling were really delicious jellybeans, not medicine (well, even though they are supposed to look like pills)!
For our volunteers, we prepared info sheets, English-Mandarin translations, street sales licenses, emergency contacts, and appreciation cards! These wonderfully kind people who were there to help out were not getting CIP hours at all; they were doing it out of good will, and we truly appreciate it and thank them at the bottom of our hearts! (please refer to thanks section for specific names!)
We set off at around 11 and had lunch and dinner in between our batches of volunteers, and ended the day at about 7.30pm (with only three of us left!) but we managed to sell a total of 207 bottles in all, which is a feat and marked improvement from the last time! ONCE AGAIN, WE THANK ALL WHO GENEROUSLY BOUGHT AND/OR HELPED TO SELL OUR JELLYBEANS!
Other than the profits, I guess what was more important was what we learnt from the entire experience of street sales. Learning to be thick skinned and vocal, learning to accept rejection and failure, learning to persevere and stay determined despite the incessant bouts of “drought” (when there is no sales at all) , all these are part and parcel of the experience which we will treasure and apply in future to our lives.
Street sales also got us to see what the world was like, and both the good and not-so-good side of people. There were those who came forward and paid more than what a bottle was worth before walking off without taking a bottle of jellybeans; whereas there were also those who walked away without even hearing you out! (at some point in time, I felt like Violet from The Incredibles – yes, invisible) Well, I made a promise to make a little effort to shake my head gently or say “no, thank you” in future whenever people approach me!
Quotes from our volunteers
“I thought it would suck, like nobody would want to buy and I’d get very depressed…but it was fun! There were really nice people like a female cleaner who gave us two bucks without taking anything in return!” Fiona Lim
"Through this superlative experience i became ascertained the intricate yet adroit techniques of street sales with some remaining reticent and others even furtive- but i managed to sell a satisfactory amount and have No qualms about helping out again (:" Ang Wei Loong
Photos!
WHERE WE GATHERED OUR VOLUNTEERS
THANK YOU CARDS FOR OUR VOLUNTEERS!
SAMPLES!!
THE MASSIVE LOAD TO CLEAR!
YEAAA I AM A VOLUNTEER MAN~
Cheryl and her pretty posters (which helped us secure a great number of customers) - even though she keeps insisting they're ugly! They're fabulous, aren't they?
(Left) three members from Youth CrusAIDers! (right) the three musketeers! (centre) the powerpuff girls!
Together, WE SAVE LIVES! (It was a waste that we forgot to take a photo after Yunfei and Bryson, the hardworking pair, came back! We forgot to take a picture with the volunteers from the second shift as well!---Sabrina and Eusebio D'Almeida)
Posted by: Yuan Teng
Youth CrusAIDers
(left to right) Teo Eng Han, Qiu Yunfei, Lee Cheryl, Yueh Yuan Teng
Who Are We We are a team of students, and we are currently doing a project under the Citibank-Youth for Causes project grant. We are liaising with Action for AIDS as our VWO for our fund-raising efforts. All the funds that we are intending to raise throughout the course of our project will be directed to the AIDS beneficiaries from our VWO.
What is Youth for Causes? Put together by Citibank and YMCA of Singapore, Citibank-YMCA Youth For Causes (YFC) offers teens the platform to turn their ideas into reality, and mentors from both organisations will be there to guide, help and support.
Our VWO Action for Aids Singapore
Quick Facts:
a. Non-profit organisation
b. Formed in 1988
c. Operate the only anonymous HIV-testing facility in Singapore
Objectives:
a. Provide support and assistance to people living with HIV and AIDS
b. Raise awareness of HIV and AIDS infection
c. Remove stigma against HIV and AIDS patients and their loved ones
d. Encourage AIDS-related research locally
How Our Beneficiaries Benefit From Our Project All proceeds from our fund-raising efforts will go to Action for Aids Singapore, which provides support to people whose lives are affected by HIV/Aids in one way or another. The three funds under Action for Aids Singapore are:
-Care for the Family Fund: Subsidies for families experiencing income disruption as their HIV-infected sole breadwinner is temporarily unable to work due to HIV-caused illnesses.
-Medication Fund: Subsidies for HIV victims’ medication, which allows them to live normally and carry on with life
-HIV Pregnant Mothers’ Fund: Subsidize the medication for HIV positive pregnant mothers so that their child can be born healthy
How Do We Intend To Raise Funds We intend to do so through a three prong approach:
1. School outreach: Sales of products to various schools
2. Public outreach: Street sales
3. Corporate outreach: Sales of products to companies/ organisations
Our goal (to be achieved by 12th September 2010): Number of bottles of jellybeans sold: 10000 bottles
Our Products 1. Jellybeans (The number of jellybeans that are found in each medical bottle represents the amount of medication that our beneficiaries need to take in a period of 5 days.)
2. Pegs
3. Stress balls
Be A Volunteer!
Activity 1: Actual sales of jelly beans
none at the moment
To Be A Volunteer... 1.No prior experience required!
(half an hour training session would be held before the actual carrying out of any one of the above + Handbook will be provided for all volunteers’ reference)
2. Kindly fill up and submit your particulars below:
If you have any queries, feel free to email youthcrusaiders@gmail.com to clarify them!
Thank you!
Leave a Legacy!
Help Us Improve!
Facts & Figures about HIV
Statistics of HIV/AIDs in Singapore
As of the end of 2008:
3941 cases of HIV infected Singaporeans (but there may be more who remain undiagnosed):
>1228 of these people have died
>914 have AIDs-related illnesses
>1799 are asymptomatic HIV carriers
More information about HIV/AIDs
AIDS: Acquired Immune Deficiency System
HIV: Human Immunodeficiency Virus
HIV is the virus which causes AIDs. Over time, HIV can weaken one’s immune system, leaving the victim susceptible to infections which can be prevented in a normal person. An AIDs diagnosis is done by a physician based on CD4 counts or symptoms, and usually occurs some time after one is infected with HIV.
How is HIV virus spread: 1) Through sexual intercourse
>body discharge involved: semen or vaginal discharge
2) Through sharing needles or unsterile medical instrument
>a. body fluid involved: blood
3) Infection during pregnancy, childbirth or breast-feeding
HIV/AIDs is not curable, but the condition can be controlled with medication. It is a chronic illness which needs care and attention.
Test yourself!
True or False?
1. HIV can spread through mosquito bites.
2. You can get AIDS from sharing food with a person with AIDS.
3. The risk of HIV spreading is increased by sharing used needles/ syringes.
4. Condoms are 100% effective against AIDS.
5. HIV virus dies upon contact with air in 30s.
6. Mothers can transmit the HIV virus through breastfeeding.
Ans: F, F, T, F, T, T
Food for thought…
Are all HIV-positive victims responsible for their plight? If your answer is yes, think again. What about children who contracted the virus from their HIV-positive mothers? What about faithful spouses who happen to have contracted the virus from their unfaithful partners?
People who have volunteered
Amanda Chan
Ang Wei Loong
Bryson Lim
Charles Tan
Eusebio D'Almeida
Fiona Lim
John Choo
Liu Fuxin
Nobelle Liew
Novia Liew
Sabrina Tay
Shaun Thium
Stanley Koo
Tuieng Seok Yin
