02/05/2023
"I attended the IMH open house back in October 1999 and joined a briefing session where I met Catherine Chua, who recruited me as a volunteer. At that time, I was still an HR manager with another company until I retired in 2008. Two years later, Catherine asked, 'Do you want to join IMH as a part-time volunteer programme staff?' And I said YES!
You have to be patient and persistent in finding a chance to speak and bond with our special friends (IMH patients). One way I try to strike up a conversation is to bring them snacks and tidbits. It's such a joy to interact with our special friends. When they see me, they're happy. They wave at me and call my name from far away."
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This Labour Day, we showcase a few colleagues with lesser-known-and-equally-valuable jobs in our hospital! For the last 13 years, Lee Poh Leng put a pause on retirement to work part-time as a volunteer programme coordinator. His advice for new volunteers would be to stay open minded and to learn common Chinese dialects to communicate with patients!
