Yeong Zi Xuan Cherise, 15

School: Bukit Batok Secondary School

Topic: An email on a VIA project to honour deceased donors

Award: Fourth Place, Senior Category, 2024

Dear Ms Lim,

I am Cherise Yeong, President of the Student Council. I am writing this email to propose a Values-in-Action (VIA) Project to honour deceased donors’ legacies. Recently, I visited my distant aunt and noticed a jar of paper stars in her living room. I was touched to learn that each star was folded by students to honour deceased organ donors. Particularly, my aunt shared with me about the legacy her mother left behind through this selfless act of organ donation. This has inspired me to propose this VIA Project to honour the memories of these deceased organ donors and raise awareness about the importance of organ donation among our school population.

For this VIA Project, I propose that we organise a school wide VIA to set up a Legacy Tree in our school and for our school to fold stars to honour the deceased organ donors. My proposal is for the Legacy Tree to be decorated by students and put up on the notice board near the canteen. Students can volunteer to add leaves to the tree by writing notes of appreciation on leaf-shaped papers that will be pasted up on the wall to create the tree. The notes will be placed beside the notice board. Students will be able to decorate their notes with markers, colour pencils, and anything they want. We encourage creativity in their notes to make our Legacy Tree dynamic and vibrant. This interactive display will serve as an evolving tribute for the sacrifices made by these organ donors.

Additionally, students can choose to fold paper stars to honour the deceased organ donors. Similarly to my aunt, these stars will be placed into jars and given to the families of the organ donors, serving as a representation of their lasting impacts that will always be appreciated. The materials needed for this activity will be provided and placed next to the notice board displaying the Legacy Tree. These activities will be announced during morning assembly and we will encourage them to participate by explaining how meaningful it is to honour those deceased organ donors that have given others the gift of life.

Having said this, this project not only allows the student population to honour the sacrifices made by organ donors, but there are a plethora of other benefits that come with this VIA project. A VIA project aims to instill positive values, improve community engagement, and encourage students to be aware of and contribute to society. This VIA Project meets these criteria.

Firstly, it promotes gratitude and empathy. By encouraging them to express gratitude to the organ donors, this fosters empathy through understanding their situations and the impacts that have come with this sacrifice. This project aims for students to show kindness and generosity to them, they will be able to relate to and learn values such as compassion, altruism, and unselfishness. It also gives them an opportunity to reflect on how these sacrifices have impacted our community.

Secondly, it fosters a sense of community among students. This project requires the student population to talk to each other and learn from each other. By giving them the same task, students have to work towards a common goal which will encourage them to connect with each other and form stronger bonds. We also encourage students to have discussions with one another on this topic for better understanding.

Finally, this VIA Project will educate students about the importance of organ donation. Writing these notes and folding these stars may prompt students to start thinking about how important it is for this to be a significant and meaningful topic to hold a VIA Project about. I want our school to be aware about this issue and help however they can. It will raise awareness about organ donation among our students and they will also get to make an impact on our school, through the displayed Legacy Tree, and in our community, through the jars of paper stars. The Legacy Tree serves as a representation of our understanding and gratitude towards organ donors, while the paper stars that will be given to families of organ donors serve as a meaningful gesture of remembrance and appreciation of their deceased loved one.

Overall, I think this Project is important as it gives our student population many benefits as mentioned earlier. Additionally, I personally believe that it is important to appreciate the sacrifices made by others. From my distant aunt, hearing the story of her mother’s sacrifice has deeply touched me. I learned about her mother and heard her story. It has made me realise not only how important organ donation is, but also how difficult it can be for many. For my aunt, having to go through the experience and process of organ donation right after losing her must have been very difficult and overwhelming. I think this needs to be recognised and appreciated more as organ donors save lives, but they sacrifice themselves. While I think the families of those saved by organ donation are immensely appreciative, the families of the deceased may have a hard time accepting this. I think showing gratitude to them and reassuring that their loved ones’ sacrifices are appreciated and meaningful is especially important.

In conclusion, I believe that this school wide VIA Project will immensely benefit our school as it allows us to express gratitude and appreciation while raising awareness about an important cause. I am confident that this VIA Project will make a significant difference in honouring the memories of the deceased organ donors and promoting awareness of the importance of organ donation. Together, this VIA Project will create a long-lasting tribute and inspire a positive change in our school.

Thank you for taking the time to read this proposal, I look forward to a favourable reply from you.

Yours faithfully,

Cherise Yeong
President, Student Council

Disclaimer: Please note that the views and opinions expressed in the essays for the Live On Festival 2024 are those of the participants and are not endorsed by the National Organ Transplant Unit (Ministry of Health).

To learn more about organ donation and organ transplantation in Singapore, please visit www.liveon.gov.sg