Each year, World Vision Singapore brings to life a very special tree called “Tree of Life” during the Christmas season to spread love and offer hope and dignity to needy children and families in the developing world. Likewise, last Christmas, nothing could stop us from representing the heartbeat of both Singaporeans and non-Singaporeans as we set up the Tree of Life booths in three shopping malls (Marina Square, NEX Serangoon Mall and Jurong Point) from 1 – 22 December 2011.

Hanging on the Tree of Life were gift cards of life-changing gifts that one could choose, to give needy children a chance to break out of poverty. These special gifts included an annual health screening for Laotian children under the age of 5, shoes for Cambodian children and a monthly food pack for a Filipino family. The gifts could even be dedicated as meaningful Christmas presents to a friend or a family member.

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In addition, besides the roadshows in the shopping malls, Tree of Life also branched into:

the hearts of Hougang residents.. World Vision was delighted when Hougang Constituency Committee invited us to set up a Tree of Life booth at their annual Christmas party on 17 December 2011. It was a special four-hour celebration as we joined more than 400 residents of Hougang to rejoice with their bursary award winners at the party. Riding on the festive spirit of giving, residents were encouraged to bless impoverished communities under World Vision's care by purchasing life-changing gifts for the needy at the booth. Residents also viewed a short video-clip about the plight of homeless children in Mongolia who made damp and filthy underground tunnels their place of rest during winter because of the heat brought by connecting heat-emitting water pipes. World Vision is heartened by the support from the residents, and we would like to thank Hougang Constituency Committee and their residents for exemplifying the spirit of Christmas - the season and reason behind selfless and generous giving.

And, the stomachs of diners at the Tomo Group… 'Man is what he eats,' Ludwig Feuerbach, a German philosopher once said. Ever wondered how to have the most enjoyable dining experience? Tomo Izakaya found the answer by re-defining dining as a meaningful experience last festive season. From 15 November 2011 – 2 January 2012, as part of their 3rd anniversary celebration, Tomo Group invited World Vision to set up a Tree of Life booth at their restaurants to give their diners a chance to buy life-changing gifts for needy children during their visit to their 3 restaurants, Tomo Izakaya @Clarke Quay and @Esplanade, and Akari @Marina Boulevard. Matthew and family was one such group who took part in the meaningful dining for a cause. They felt that their Christmas meal of Soki Tatsuta Age (deep fried, soft tender pork rib), Tomo Izakaya's signature dish, was made more delicious through being able to share their joy with another poor family in the Philippines. They expressed that the Chinese idea of “吃在嘴里，甜在心里” translated literally as “to eat in the mouth and feel sweetness in the heart” was really what they could feel during the meal. Miss U Yee Ting, a marketing assistant at Tomo Izakaya chirpily informed World Vision about a customer who generously gave almost $200 worth of gifts even before the campaign began. “It really warms the heart to see people helping those in extreme poverty,” said Miss U, “and it was a great encouragement for the start of the campaign!” Miss U also shared other stories of generous patrons who gave more than what they spent at the restaurants. Big-hearted Mr. Ibuki Horie, assistant general manager, shared that it was significant for Tomo Group to partner a cause for their anniversary celebrations. Tomo Group, a premier Japanese restaurant chain, firmly believes in giving back to the community. Since World Vision’s Tree of Life campaign met real and concrete needs of poor children, it presented itself as a great opportunity for their employees and diners to lend a hand to the less fortunate during a season of joy and giving.

Generous Donors who visited the booths Despite the bleak economic outlook of 2012, many people still gave generously and gave all that they could. We came across so many heart-warming stories from people of all walks of life in Singapore! From students who pooled their pocket money to make a combined purchase of food packs for the children in The Philippines, to the executives and professionals who portioned their end-year bonuses to contribute medical kits and equipment for needy communities in Vietnam. Families and even retirees came in full-force to offer their sweet aroma of love, dignity and hope to the underprivileged children. Some donors went beyond the call of duty and bought snacks and drinks for tired volunteers and staff to thank us for making a difference. We have no words to describe your kind gesture but THANK YOU! Dedicated Volunteers A Big Thank You to all our volunteers who assisted us. One month before the campaign began, we received an overwhelming response to our call for volunteers. The weekday and weekend slots from morning to evening were quickly filled up. We were encouraged and moved to hear stories of how executives took leave from their work, how families united in the cause, how elderly retirees overcame the physical challenge, how students sacrificed their holidays, and how a pregnant lady stood for hours while distributing our catalogues to interested members of the public – all of them gave their time, toil and sweat to the poor children in need this Christmas.   Corporate Sponsors, and Venue Sponsors Thank you to our corporate sponsors, Crystal Jade and Gloria Jeans, for giving our donors a special token in the form of vouchers when they chose a life-changing gift or sponsored a child at the road shows. Even our volunteers were appreciated by these corporate sponsors for the efforts they contributed to our Tree of Life campaign. Also, we are grateful to our venue sponsors, Marina Square, NEX Serangoon Mall and Jurong Point, for offering their retail space free-of-charge so that we could reach out to the public and raise awareness about poverty-strewn communities.   Performers from NUS Resonance Acapella, Singapore Wind Symphony and, Polkadots and Moonbeam Thank you for delighting us and the crowd with your wonderful tapestry of music. What a soulful difference those notes made to the heartwarming atmosphere of love and joy.     And YOU, our faithful supporter! Thank you for your online donation and your support sent through the mail. Thank you for spreading the event via word of mouth to your family and friends to heighten the awareness of this campaign. All these put a smile on the face of a needy child in the world. Indeed, without you, the joy of spreading love this season would not have been complete.