Drive to make a difference - a oneshift community charity event

The children of Pertapis Children's Home on Kovan Road got a pleasant surprise last Saturday morning when 13 cars driven by 20 oneshift community members and their partners/friends rolled into their courtyard.

Members of the oneshift team and community were at the home to kick off the ‘Drive with a difference' charity event. Organised by community head honcho Steven, the event will see us drive 22 0f the kids staying at the home out for an outing to the Marina Barrage and Singapore Flyer, as well as to lunch.

The Pertapis Children's Home was established in 1990 as a safe haven for underprivileged children. The home houses children from dysfunctional families, children in need of shelter, children who are abused or neglected and are in need of care and protection. The children in the home are aged between 4 to 18 years old. The home provides residential care and its main objective is to help the children grow up with confidence, good health and happy state of mind.

One kid will even be more fortunate than his friends though - he will ride in a very special car, the Sepang blue Audi R8 V10 kindly loaned to us by Audi Singapore for the event. The lucky boy had been chosen by the home's staff to be in the R8 as he had shown the biggest improvement in academic performance as well as in behaviour.

Once each of the 13 cars were assigned at least one child, the entourage proceeded to drive to Marina Barrage. Along the way, lucky kid (the children can neither be named or photographed in public due to the sensitivity of some of their cases) got to experience 525bhp and an intoxicating sounding V10 that revs right up to more than 8000rpm. Lucky kid was suitably impressed with the noise and ferocity of the R8's V10 whenever me, the lucky big kid driving it, opened the taps of the motor. The Secondary 4 boy even managed to experience the full amplified V10 symphony when we went through the CTE tunnel en route.

Once everyone arrived at Marina Barrage, the kind folks at the facility took us on a guided tour around the area and exhibits in the gallery as well as giving everyone a rundown on the history, operations and future of Singapore's water treatment and reserviors. After the tour, the children were happy to be treated ice cream by some of the volunteers.

It was the short drive to the Singapore Flyer next where the children and the volunteers had a memorable experience on the flyer thanks to its kind and generous ticket package for the event. Moreover, the children were made even happier by the complimentary fun pack that each of them received.

The last stop for the children and the volunteers was the Casuarina Curry coffee shop at Upper Thomson - they had generously sponsored for the entire group. The Prata, Briyani and drinks tasted especially good after a good half a day in the heat.

The volunteers sent the children back to the home after lunch as the day came to an end. Before everyone left though, the children had the chance to come right close and personal with one of their biggest heroes for the day - the Audi R8 V10.

In addition to their time and efforts, some of the volunteers also donated goodies to the home for the children to share and enjoy, including foodstuffs and an Xbox gaming console.

Special thanks to all those who attended and volunteered for the event, Marina Barrage for the guided tour of their facility, Singapore Flyer for the special ticket package, Casuarina curry for the sumptuous lunch and Audi Singapore for the loan of their precious R8 V10.

Credits: Story and Photos by Raymond Lai