<img src="/-/media/managing-my-home/living-in-my-community/hdb-community-day/hdb-community-day-2023/friends-of-our-heartlands-exhibition-2023/CD23-FOH-West-Spring-Primary-School.jpg" alt="Friends of Our Heartlands, West Spring Primary School" />
Building enduring ties of friendship
West Spring Primary School has been fostering neighbourly ties in the Zhenghua neighbourhood over the last 5 years. From cook-a-long sessions to making hand sanitisers and organising performances, the students used creative means to bond the community. In their latest endeavour, 20 passionate Primary 4 and 5 students organised a &lsquo;My Neighbours, My Friends&rsquo; carnival that brought some 500 residents in Zhenghua together. Through game booths, participants learnt valuable neighbourliness messages, such as being considerate of each other and maintaining the cleanliness of common areas. The carnival also hosted a special badge-making session and a &lsquo;Grow a Plant&rsquo; workshop, where students shared their unique potted creations with 50 seniors from nearby flats, spreading warmth and appreciation.

TIES 5.0

<img alt="Friends of Our Heartlands Exhibition 2023, Damai Secondary School" src="/-/media/managing-my-home/living-in-my-community/hdb-community-day/hdb-community-day-2023/friends-of-our-heartlands-exhibition-2023/CD23-FOH-Damai-Secondary-School.jpg" />
Crafting and creating together for an eco-friendly world
Driven by a passion for environmental conservation, students from Damai Secondary School have been working with elderly residents in Hougang, Punggol and Bedok since 2020 to create meaningful crafts using recycled materials. This year, through 6 lively sessions of eco-craft workshops, the students sought to empower elderly residents by teaching them the art of making sustainable crafts and encouraging them to continue eco-crafting at home and share their creations with fellow neighbours.

Upcycling with Eco-craft

<img alt=" Friends of Our Heartlands Award Recipients" src="/-/media/managing-my-home/living-in-my-community/hdb-community-day/hdb-community-day-2023/friends-of-our-heartlands-exhibition-2023/CD23-FOH-Platinum.jpg" />
Check out our <a href="/-/media/managing-my-home/living-in-my-community/hdb-community-day/hdb-community-day-2023/friends-of-our-heartlands-exhibition-2023/FOH-Bronze-and-COA-Awardees.pdf" target="_blank" title="Bronze and Certificate of Appreciation (COA) awardees">Bronze and Certificate of Appreciation (COA) awardees</a> [PDF/625 KB]!

Award Recipients

<img alt="Friends of Our Heartlands Exhibition 2023, Chong Teng Kok" src="/-/media/managing-my-home/living-in-my-community/hdb-community-day/hdb-community-day-2023/friends-of-our-heartlands-exhibition-2023/CD23-FOH-Chong-Teng-Kok.jpg" />
A beacon for heartland volunteers
A long-time HDB volunteer since 2014, Mr Chong Teng Kok has volunteered with passion and expertise in various outreach initiatives under the Friends of Our Heartlands (FOH) network. With valuable experience in community engagement, Teng Kok leads HDB&rsquo;s Eco Trails at the Punggol Discovery Cube, mesmerising students and residents alike with captivating tales of the area&rsquo;s history. As a volunteer leader, he also coordinates MyNiceHome Roadshows and conducts post-roadshow surveys to gather feedback from participants. Looking to mentor the next generation of volunteers through on-the-job training, Teng Kok's calm demeanour and commitment to service is a beacon of inspiration for new FOH volunteers.

Chong Teng Kok

<img alt="Friends of Our Heartlands Exhibition 2023, Elumalai Sarath Kumar" src="/-/media/managing-my-home/living-in-my-community/hdb-community-day/hdb-community-day-2023/friends-of-our-heartlands-exhibition-2023/CD23--FOH-Elumalai-Sarath-Kumar.jpg" />
Helping elderly feel safe and secure at home
Keen to see how HDB flats can be improved to make them more elderly-friendly, Mr Elumalai Sarath Kumar spent many of his weekends with a team of volunteers to engage elderly residents in the Mei Ling and Queen&rsquo;s Close area to understand the day-to-day challenges that they face living in their flats. Through face-to-face interviews, Sarath patiently listened to the seniors, gathered critical feedback, and captured photographs of potential hazards in the flats for improvement. In total, the team reached out to over 300 households over a span of 3 months. By bringing their concerns to the forefront, Sarath paved the way for seniors to live more comfortably in their homes.

 Elumalai Sarath Kumar

<img alt="Friends of Our Heartlands Exhibition 2023, Khng Joo Seng, George" src="/-/media/managing-my-home/living-in-my-community/hdb-community-day/hdb-community-day-2023/friends-of-our-heartlands-exhibition-2023/CD23-FOH-Khng-Joo-Seng-George.jpg" />
Uniting both hearts and neighbourhoods
Mr George Khng&rsquo;s role as a wedding solemniser is to bring people together in marriage, but the avid volunteer is also extending his passion and skills to bring people in neighbourhoods closer together. A FOH volunteer since 2018, George has helped residents with diverse views build consensus on many neighbourhood improvement projects, patiently guiding them into prioritising the facilities they wish to see in their neighbourhood. Most recently, he also participated in an accessibility audit with persons with disabilities (PWD) in Boon Lay, gaining first-hand insights on their challenges moving round the area. George's empathetic approach and systematic relay of feedback were crucial in contributing to planned improvements that could help empower PWD in the community.