Join FOM Members Care for our first heritage opportunity of 2023, a traditional wood firing at the Thow Kwang Dragon Kiln. A multi-generational family business, Thow Kwang Pottery Jungle was established in 1965, but its traditional brick-laid dragon kiln was first built back in the 1940s by previous owners. Today, the Thow Kwang Dragon Kiln is one of Singapore’s last two dragon kilns, and the only one that is fired up multiple times a year.

We will first take a tour of the property and learn about the fifty-plus year history of this Singapore Stewards of Intangible Cultural Heritage Award winner (2020). Afterwards, the Thow Kwang Clay Artists will explain the science behind a dragon kiln firing and there will be an optional opportunity for us to "feed the dragon!" Safety is a top priority so bring your own work gloves, wear long pants and closed shoes if you think you would like to participate hands-on.

Come and join us in an effort to help the Turkish and Syria earthquake relief in conjunction with Wild Honey. 

Bring your friends and join us for lunch at Wild Honey, Scots Road and while we have a sumptuous breakfast we help to raise some money for the earthquake relief. 

We will have a breakfast called 'The Turkish', which consists of a poached egg baked with garlicky yoghurt, baby spinach and paprika oil, avjar, flat bread & herb & seed tabbouleh. A cup of coffee, tea or soft drink goes with this breakfast.

Our hearts go out to everyone affected by the devastating series of earthquakes that have rocked Turkey and Syria. The need for immediate financial aid and assistance is mind-boggling, as the scale of the shocking devastation is clear for all to see. That is why Wild Honey came up with this way to support the efforts. 

50% of the proceeds of the 'The Turkish' breakfast will be donated to the Singapore Red Cross Earthquake Relief Fund. The owners of the restaurant will also match these fund dollar for dollar in the hope that this will ease the distress of some of those affected. 

Books Beyond Borders collects and sells gently-used books in Singapore. They donate 100% of net profits to support projects in Nepal. They provide grants to enable educational projects, such as setting up school libraries, developing STEM programs, and providing much-needed classroom materials.

Please consider donating your used books to Book Beyond Borders. If you have over 20 books in good condition they will even come to pick them up. Your donations support sustainability, create less waste and provide more opportunities for students beyond our borders. You may also consider running a book drive at your condo or workplace to collect book donations.

To donate, please check out their Giving Guide and use the Live Chat feature at the bottom of the page to arrange a drop-off or pick-up.

For more information, visit Books Beyond Borders.

ItsRainingRaincoats is collecting old laptops, handphones (in working condition please), cameras and shavers to bring about greater convenience to the lives of our migrant worker brothers.. They welcome new items too.

Please WhatsApp any of the numbers below:

Michelle 9689 1535

Kiran 9023 2930

Project Vidya is a giving project sponsored by the social enterprise Good Karma.

Help recycle Ewaste & Promote Education among the Needy! Laptops, desktops, tablets, and phones can donated and will be refurbished to give to needy families.

To participate, contact Project Vidya.

Call: 8613 4970 for more information.

Haze-Free Foodstand is a PM Haze campaign that promotes the use of sustainable or 'haze-free' palm oil.

Palm oil is used in 90% of eateries in Singapore and it is the most efficient crop in the world. But very few use certified palm oil that is cultivated using sustainable farming methods that preserve the environment and can say with certainty that they do not contribute to the haze.

Your food choice is your voice. Join with PM Haze and take a stand with sustainable palm oil, www.pmhaze.org/foodstand

Download the PDF below with a list of Singapore's Haze-Free Foodstands.

Looking for a way to empower fragile communtiies during these trying times? The organization Safe Water for Every Child has identified a need amongst their constituency, the indigenous Karen people on the Thai-Burma border region - improving English language skills. And they've come up with a creative way to address it - virtual tutoring via simple social media tools. If you are interested in using your post-CB time to engage in simple tutoring for young adults wanting to improve their English language skills, please register here.

For more information on Safe Water for Every Child's efforts to provide access to clean drinking water among at-risk communities, check out their Facebook page.

Thank you to the 40 FOM urban archaeologists who came out for the FOM Singapore Heritage Tile Tidy on Saturday 8 May in Bukit Brown Cemetery.

Special thank you to our leaders Cathie Chua, Clare Teo, Bukit Brown caretaker Ah Beng Soh, and Bukit Brown Brownies Claire Leow, Peter Pak and Raymond Goh, and working remotely from Australia, Singapore Heritage Tile Project Director Jennifer Lim.

Learn more about the Singapore Heritage Tile Project here.

Learn more about the History of Bukit Brown here.

Watch a video of our Tile Tidy morning here to see Bukit Brown's true colors emerge. They are beautiful like a rainbow!

For individual photographs, see the FOM Singapore Heritage Tile Tidy photo album on the FOM Members Care! public Facebook page.

By that I mean we have confirmed the dragonflies and damselflies we surveyed on Saturday 6 March, updated our data sheets, and uploaded the information onto the NParks data base.

With the data collected from survey transects from the various parks around Singapore during the designated survey periods, NParks can start piecing together information about where our dragonflies and damselflies are found and in what numbers. This information will contribute towards better park management and conservation measures. Thank you to FOM member Sim Chong Teck for suggesting this fun activity!

Results from the 2021 survey can be found in PDF form below.

Thank you to everyone who voted for their favorite photograph in the Spring Equinox Photography Contest by "liking" it on Facebook. The "Fan Favorite" is Vince Kasten's photograph of "Love at First Sight" between a Common Amber Wing and a Common Scarlet. "Best in Show" was awarded to Jo Wright for her delightful Yellowbar Flutterer, both taken during the FOM NParks Dragonfly Watch @ GBTB on 6 March 2021.

All entered photographs can be found in the Spring Equinox Photography Contest photo album on the FOM Members Care! public Facebook page.

94 FOM Members and Friends walked 641 KM in the FOM Walk for Rice 2020 on 5 December 2020 in the Singapore Botanic Gardens and On Their Own!

With the Fair Price partnership, this translates to 2137 Bowls of White Rice, 2137 Bowls of Brown Rice, and 2137 Bowls of Oatmeal for the Needy.

Way to Go FOM!!!

Watch the video here.

For individual photos from the video, see the FOM Walk for Rice 2020 album on our FOM Members Care! Facebook group

For accumulated results from 2020 FairPrice Walk for Rice @ South East (as of 1 Dec 2020), download the numbers found below taken from the Jan-Apr 2021 Contact South East magazine.

FOM Members Care Events and Volunteer Opportunities:

1. Should meaningfully contribute to our mission: support for Singapore’s heritage, local health & human services, and/or Singapore’s environmental contribution to a healthy planet.

2. Ideally, should be partnered with a Singapore-registered charity. (Events in many cases introduce the charity to a new audience. Therefore, it should represent the charity in such a way that it will encourage continued volunteer support.)

3. Should not include a registration fee nor a mandatory financial contribution to participate.

4. Should promote FOM community bonding.

5. Should be inclusive (ideally held on weekends or in the evening or in conjunction with an FOM event, and should not require advanced training.)

6. Should be FUN!