The best way to celebrate an anniversary is in the company of good friends. And for A Magazine’s first birthday milestone, we’ve been doing just that. In fact, galvanised by all the support and love we’ve been receiving since we were only a mere idea, it’s always been foremost on our minds to pay our blessings forward.
This is why for the months of July and August, we’ve roped in some very generous friends, who have gifted us their time and remarkable talents, so we may raise funds for two beneficiaries: Beyond Social Services and The Saturday Movement.
Why the two charities? Because Beyond Social Services’ programmes are dedicated to helping children and youths from tougher backgrounds break away from the poverty cycle. While The Saturday Movement has been providing nutritious meals to hospital staffers, ex-Sungei Road vendors and the vulnerable elderly.
Below is what some of our friends and us have been up to, and we would love to have you join in. Because while individually we have the power to make positive impact, just imagine what we can do together.
HIIT-It-with-A
If you’ve seen our socials, you’ll know our pal Meaghan See has been helping us shed calories over Zoom. Though a lawyer by profession, she somehow finds time to teach barre, HIIT and spin classes at WeBarre and Anthem. An athlete since young, she tells us: “It came to the point where I thought why not do something more with my passion for moving and keeping active? If I can make a handful of people feel how alive I feel after a good workout, why not do it?”
Her final HIIT-It-with-A session takes place this weekend. And anyone gets to join in her 50mins workouts on Zoom for a donation of S$50 or more to Beyond Social Services. To sweat it out with Meaghan, click here. (Do know that donations are entitled to a 2.5 times tax deduction.)
High-Intensity Interval Training Workout:
- Sunday, 26 July @11am
Food For Your Soul
We launched this initiative because as the adage goes: Good food must share. And believe us, the 10 home cooks who’ve stepped up to the stove are so talented in the kitchen, it’s insane not to hit them up for order after order.
You’ll be very familiar with some of these names: Society figure Fanty Soenardy is preparing luxurious and health enhancing Almond Bird Nest. Lawyer Nada Jumabhoy who bakes “to feed people I love” is putting up her signature Carrot Cake. Property developer Keith Moss appeals to those hankering for juicy tender burgers with not one but two Burger sets. Dr Iroshini Chua has a beautifully decorated Vanilla Fondant cake and a box of Chocolate Ganache Cupcakes to tempt all sweet tooths.
And you know that lithium-ion battery powering your devices? Well we have one of its developers, Moroccan scientist and engineer Rachid Yazami donating a Chicken Lemon Tagine. It was his mum who taught him to cook Moroccan tagines, and with his dish, “I just want mum too be proud”.
Cookbook author Nicholas Lin has also put up a 12-piece plate of generously filled Masa Corn Tacos; while Atlas Handcrafted’s Mak Sin Wee has worked with heritage kueh artisans to offer a 27-piece Nonya Kueh Floating Tray embellished with gold and flowers. Cakemaker Handara Isman, homemaker Simone Khoo and lawyer Jessie Ho-Thong have also donated their signature cooks, which we won’t tease you with, because they’ve all been snapped up in the time we took to write these paragraphs.
To find out more or to place an order click here. We’ll be accepting orders until 5 August 2020 (for delivery/pick-up by 14 August 2020). All proceeds go to Beyond Social Services. Dishes are very limited, so fastest fingers rule.
Giving HeART Charity Art Exhibition
Haven’t been to museum or a gallery in a while? Well, why not visit ours online. The Giving HeART Charity Exhibition showcases the works of two extraordinarily talented Singaporeans Jowena Liang and Shirley Bok who have both donated a series of their works.
If you haven’t heard of Liang, you should know this: her painting Lotus Beauty in Chaos won a Bronze Medal at the 6th Chinese Calligraphy and Painting Competition by The ISF Academy Chinese Culture Center, in Hong Kong last year. Bok on the other hand is known for her western contemporary art and Chinese ink paintings, which like Liang’s are also heavily influenced by nature. We also call Bok a kindred spirit, as she’s served as editor-in-chief of several art-related publications.
This online charity showing is organised with the help of a small group of our friends, some of whom, like Liang, are based in Hong Kong. Working on this international effort has reminded us that solidarity is always key, especially when the world is thrown off-course in times of crisis. More importantly, the power and importance of art is undeniable — its beauty soothes and comforts and opens new windows of connection.
Art pieces may be purchased online from now till 16 August 2020. Our target is $30,000, which will be distributed to The Saturday Movement.
Thank you for being part of our journey and for helping us Make A Difference.