In the musty and cramped study of her three-bedroom HDB flat in Jurong, Madam F eagerly pulled an envelope from a plastic document folder.

"This is the letter I'm going to send," she said, smiling from ear to ear.

The green-coloured envelope — which F generously allowed me to open — housed a neatly written note with some photos; it was addressed to Karen, her 27-year-old penpal.

For the 41-year-old housewife, writing and receiving such letters is a significant highlight of her day.

She had been paired with Karen to be penpals as part of a pilot run for Penpals in the Community, a project seeking to connect vulnerable seniors with volunteers through the age-old medium of snail mail.

"I was excited because I love writing," F said, adding that after she got a phone call telling her to expect a letter, she had trouble sleeping.

On the other end of the call was Valerie Ho, the founder of Penpals in the Community.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CFjq6CbhHWy/

Imagining a greater impact

While phrases like "ground-up community initiative" are often bandied about frivolously, in Ho's case you'd be hard-pressed to find a more apt description.

Singapore was in the midst of a pandemic-induced circuit breaker when the 27-year-old analyst came across a CNA article detailing the troubles elderly nursing home residents were experiencing in light of public health regulations which kept them apart from their loved ones.

One hospice, reported CNA, had introduced a penpal programme with volunteers to keep their seniors engaged.

"I thought 'eh, this is quite a cool idea'," said Ho.

"Then I thought if this idea could be used and applied to a bigger community maybe the impact will be greater."

There were many seniors who did not have access to programmes designed to protect them from social isolation, outside of those in hospices and aged care facilities, Ho realised.

Their circumstances were likely to be exacerbated by the fact that seniors were discouraged from visiting others, even in Phase 2 of Singapore's reopening, due to their vulnerability to Covid-19.

An avid writer of letters herself, Ho felt that creating a network of penpals to correspond with such elders would be a simple and effective solution.

"I wrote down a short write up of what I imagined this initiative would be like — how the activity would be conducted," she recalled.

After receiving encouraging feedback from friends and a contact at the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre, Ho set about putting her idea into action.

"When is the letter coming?"

Linking up with another community initiative, Kampung Kakis, Ho found two beneficiaries who were keen to be a part of the initiative.

Along with F was an elderly man in his sixties who lived alone.

Ho found them suitable penpals from among her friends and gave the seniors a call to explain how the whole process would work.

"I was a bit nervous," she said of those first two calls.

"But it was also really interesting because the seniors were really excited. Like they kept asking, 'when is the letter coming?'"

F actually called Ho back the next day, worried as the letter had yet to arrive in her mailbox.

Once it did arrive, F placed another call to Ho — the letter wasn't long enough.

"It was very short and sweet," said F cheekily of the penpal's letter. "But I think she wasn't describing herself too much."

Nonetheless, F was eager to write back immediately and said she so enjoyed the experience that she asked Ho to find her a second penpal.

Over a month into the correspondence, F still savours the surprise of opening her mailbox to find a personal letter addressed to her.

The conversation in these letters drifted from the trivial — "what is your favourite colour?" — to deeper questions pertaining to former careers and aspirations.

"It's quite heart-warming to know that a small letter or note can actually make their day," said Ho.

"It actually cheers them up and gives them something to look forward to."

Seven pages of sage advice

Ho too, has gotten to know the two seniors better as well, through her own correspondence with them.

She visits both F and the elderly man to supply them with envelopes, paper, stamps, and any other stationery they might require during

At F's house the day I visited, Ho helped the housewife to print photographs and provided her with a glue stick so that the envelopes could be sealed tightly.

Separately, the elderly man was so appreciative that he wrote a seven-paged letter to Ho, thanking her for facilitating his correspondence with his penpals, and even offered

sage advice.

"He said like, relationships are very important, especially at work. And like, being happy is very important too. Like 'if you're not happy then there's no meaning in life'. That kinda thing."

Taking it to the next level

Now that the pilot has proved to be a success, Ho is looking forward to the October launch of a larger-scale run of Penpals in the Community.

This time, Ho is working with a senior activity centre to connect around 20 elderly residents with young adult volunteers — found mostly through word of mouth.

I can't help but be impressed by Ho's drive to see a bright idea right through to execution.

"I'm just thankful lah," she replied when I expressed my admiration.

"I'm very blessed that there are people who are so receptive. (When I asked for feedback) the seniors said 'thank you for creating this initiative' and I was like 'aww'!

I feel very appreciated as well; it really motivates me to continue with this initiative."

While volunteers too are under no obligation to continue writing to the beneficiaries after the first correspondence, Ho hopes that they'll continue to do so for some time, encouraged by the impact their gesture has on the senior's life.

Losing track of time

Beyond engaging the elderly, Ho wants Penpals in the Community to inspire young working adults to be more outward-looking, for them to create meaningful bonds with the beneficiaries.

"I hope that it's beneficial to both parties, not just entertaining for the seniors."

Work-life — especially for those just starting their careers — could become all-consuming, she had observed.

"I feel like when you start working you kinda lose track of your time," said Ho.

Meanwhile, community service or volunteering becomes a thing of the past; an aspect of student life that is left behind upon graduation.

Yet, if anyone needed evidence that you can still be active in the community while making headway in the working world, Ho and Penpals in the Community prove it's more than possible.

Volunteer or find out more about Penpals in the Community by visiting their Instagram page.

Stories from the City of Good is a series on ordinary Singaporeans giving their best for others and inspiring each other to become a Singapore that cares. This is a collaboration between Mothership and the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre.

Top image by Andrew Koay

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