Lim Guang Jie, Jackie (second from right) with his team who managed to raise $25,000 for charity. -- PHOTO:MILLENNIA INSTITUTE

The carnival was held in conjunction with the official opening its new campus at Bukit Batok on May 16, graced by Dr Ng Eng Hen, Minister for Education and Second Minister for Defence.

When the school first mooted the idea, Lim Guang Jie, 18, thought to himself that it would be great to raise funds for needy families in Singapore. The second year student suggested to his friends that they sell coupons at their former secondary schools.

Having experienced great financial difficulties at the age of 14 where my father lost his job and my mother had to cope with the demands of a new job, I knew first-hand how hard life can be.

During those dark years, I wished that someone lent me a helping hand. Seizing the opportunity to help others so they will be able to stand on their own feet, I rallied my friends to support our Institute's fund-raising project.

I liked the idea that the Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund helps children from low-income families who are attending school without proper breakfast, or pocket money to sustain their day in school. I appreciated how these funds can help children who are already facing difficulties to remain in school. And so I wanted to do something for these children.

Thankfully, my classmates and I shared the same passion for helping others, and so we set out to do what we could for these children.

It was quite a difficult task juggling our lessons and liaising with the secondary schools and the volunteers that we have recruited. Thankfully, with extensive support from the Principal, Mr Tan Chor Pang and teachers, namely Ms Wendy Choo, Mr Benny Lim and many others, this idea came into fruition.

Despite our heavy workload, the moral support and encouragement we received from our school became our source of strength which enabled my friends and I to overcome the problems we faced.

The sale of coupons took place during the month of April and there were many instances when things did not go the way as planned. In spite of that, many volunteers were surprised by the positive responses from the schools. One of the volunteers, my classmate Roger Erh, commented, "People are much more generous than I thought. Even without our persuasion, some students willingly parted with their money."

Furthermore, in the process of the fundraising, the volunteers gained invaluable experiences not found in the classroom.

One of the leaders of the project, Kek Poh Yee explained, "I'm quite shy but I had to gather all my courage to persuade strangers in the secondary schools to buy the carnival tickets from me. Knowing that I'm doing this for a charitable purpose helps!"

Like my volunteer friends, I too picked up a few lessons along the way. I am now more confident of my abilities to organize a fund-raising effort. The 90 volunteers have also become friends. But more importantly, with my friends, we found a way to pay it forward.