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Students make scrunchies, keychains to raise funds for ST School Pocket Money Fund

Secondary 3 students from Queenstown Secondary School spent three months preparing a fund-raiser, which took place over a week in August. PHOTOS: QUEENSTOWN SECONDARY SCHOOL

SINGAPORE - To raise funds for their less well-off peers, students from two secondary schools made use of their crafting skills to create items they could sell to their classmates.

At Ngee Ann Secondary School, the school’s art club set aside time during its weekly three-hour sessions to make keychains, scrunchies, pins and photo cards by hand.

Meanwhile, a class of Secondary 3 students from Queenstown Secondary School spent three months preparing a fund-raiser, which took place over a week in August.

Besides setting up game booths where fellow students could compete in speed stacking and ball tossing to win prizes, they also crocheted pouches, bracelets and animal keychains that they sold for between $2 and $5.

Together, the two schools raised almost $1,400 for The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund (STSPMF), part of wider donation drives by schools here for the charity, which supports some 10,000 children a year.

STSPMF said seven secondary schools raised nearly $28,000 for the fund in 2024, though there may be other schools that have made their donations anonymously.

While some of the seven schools relied on handicrafts, others like Pathlight School (Ang Mo Kio) raised money for STSPMF through donation drives.

One enthusiastic participant in the fund-raiser was student Nurdaanya Mohamed Hafiz, 13, who set aside her daily allowance and tapped her network of relatives.

Nurdaanya’s father, a gym manager, also convinced his clients to chip in, while her mother used Instagram to reach out to clients of her home-based baked goods business. In total, the family contributed $800 towards the $12,000 that Pathlight School raised for STSPMF.

Ngee Ann Secondary School students presenting on The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund.PHOTO: NGEE ANN SECONDARY SCHOOL

Students told ST that beyond contributing to a meaningful cause, they also picked up valuable skills from the experience.

Rasleen Kaur Khaira, 15, who chairs Ngee Ann Secondary’s art club, said the fund-raiser was a good opportunity to lead a project and teach her juniors about executing their ideas.

Her committee brainstormed about what to sell, with an eye on ensuring that the handicrafts would be affordable to fellow students.

“We chose to make items that are relatable and practical for secondary school students; things that can be used for a long time,” said the Secondary 3 student.

Fellow art club member Ruth Ho Lin, 13, said the months spent together making the items brought the club’s members closer together.

It also allowed members to try new ways of creating the keychains, she added.

“It felt exciting to experiment with new techniques, challenge myself creatively, and be able to do good at the same time,” she said.

Among the students in charge of the overall fund-raiser at Queenstown Secondary was Li Cherd, 17.

The Secondary 3 student said managing the project taught her to think more critically, such as how to find ways to break down a large project into a series of more manageable tasks.

“Additionally, being part of the management group improved my decision-making skills,” she said.

“When challenges arose, I was able to think quickly and devise solutions.”

Fellow Secondary 3 student Leann Koh Ying En said that although it was tiring to make the crocheted items, she was glad that they were popular and sold out fast.

“I felt a lot of joy as we are helping out not just our peers in need, but also their families to lessen their financial burden just a little,” she added.

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A spokesman for Queenstown Secondary said a key reason the school selected STSPMF was that some students were aware of schoolmates who are beneficiaries of the fund, and wanted to help its cause.

Through the fund-raiser, students learnt more about the challenges faced by their lower-income peers, and appreciated the opportunity to play a role in advocating for this segment of the community, he added.

STSPMF was started in 2000 as a community project initiated by ST to provide pocket money to children from lower-income families to help them through school.

Since its inception, STSPMF has helped more than 220,000 children and youth in need and has disbursed more than $100 million.

Beneficiaries come from families whose per capita gross monthly household income is not more than $750. 

A primary school pupil receives $65 a month, while a secondary school student receives $100 a month. Students from ITE, junior colleges and polytechnics receive $125 a month.

Besides disbursements, the funds raised also go towards supporting the social and educational development of the children and youth.

Those who are keen to donate to STSPMF can do so here, or they can sign up to volunteer with the charity here.