Serious about saving lives

It all started with wanting to get a day off work…

“In the late 1990s, there was a blood donor recruitment drive at my workplace. I signed up because we could take a day off. That’s how I first became acquainted with Singapore Red Cross,” he said, chuckling at the memory.

While each blood donation usually takes 45-60 minutes today, Augustine’s experience back then required him to set aside four hours in one sitting. However, that did not deter him from going back again. In fact, it became a monthly routine for him until 2004 when he had to stop due to medical reasons.

When asked what kept him going back month after month, his answer was simple. “If I can give (blood) and help others, why not?”

Although Augustine is no longer eligible to donate blood, you can still find him volunteering his time at Bloodbank@Westgate Tower every Saturday. There, he assists, assures and advises blood donors to ensure their experience is always a pleasant one.

'Always on'

When he is not helping out at the Bloodbank or SRC events on weekends, Augustine will be patrolling East Coast Park with fellow SRC volunteers to provide first aid to park-goers in need.

On top of devoting his weekends to volunteer work, Augustine is also on standby during weekday nights from midnight to 6am as a community responder under SRC’s Home Monitoring and Eldercare (HoME+) service. HoME+ helps seniors living on their own through a helpline that operates 24/7 for non-emergency situations. When called upon, Augustine needs to arrive at the senior’s home within an hour to render assistance.