Make someone's day with just a dollar
Campaign aims to encourage the young to pay it forward with a $1 coin
What would you do with one dollar?
Alexis Chong, 14, bought a packet of tissue paper from an elderly man selling them for a living.
Gordon Lim, 16, encouraged three of his friends to each contribute a dollar on behalf of a classmate who had lost his father.
These children participated in a campaign called My Dollar Story, which is co-founded by Mr Delane Lim, and launched by the Character & Leadership Academy by FutuReady Asia in partnership with Crowd PR.
Mr Lim, co-founder and executive director of the Character & Leadership Academy by FutuReady Asia Singapore, said: "To many of us, one dollar might seem like a small amount, so we want to show how a simple dollar can have a significant and lasting impact on others."
Mr Lim, 33, told The New Paper that with one dollar he had bought a drink for a cleaner, who shared it with a friend.
He said: "This ripple effect from our small actions is quite interesting. A dollar can go a long way in making someone's day."
The movement was originally introduced in 2009 by Mr Lim's mentor, Mr Dickson Lim, Director of Individual Philanthropy Services at BNP Paribas, at the first International Youth Leaders' Summit.
It was nine years later, during the last Christmas, that Mr Delane Lim was inspired to start the project after watching a documentary on poverty while recuperating from spine surgery.
The campaign hopes to encourage those who are able to contribute their own dollar and perform a kind act with it.
But Mr Lim has also pledged $10,000 from his own savings to the cause, and members of the public may ask for a dollar on the My Dollar Story Facebook page.
Interested participants may drop a message on the My Dollar Story Facebook page with their name, age, address and intended action with the dollar. It will then be mailed to participants, along with a card.
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