顺境，逆境

我们的意志力往往都在顺境中悄悄的被磨灭， 在逆境中慢慢的被磨练，
内在的力量在顺境中逐减，在逆境中累积。
当能够在逆境中不放弃，才能勇敢面对，真正了解“我”，从而走出困境坦然迎接未知的将来。

Interview by Simply Giving

A sharing of a blog post from Simply Giving. Thank you for all the help ^^

"For this post, we’d like to feature an extraordinary team of women who went all out to create that extra boost and “wow” that causes need to get the word out. And they had all the hearts and love to donate more than just money….

Here’s what Shamaine Ho, has to say about it all. Who says miracles don’t happen for first-time fundraisers?

First of all, I must say a big thank you to Simply Giving for giving me big help from the very beginning. Your help has certainly given me a big boost by believing in what I’m doing 

As a greenhorn in charity and fundraising campaigning, I have so much to learn. I truly appreciate Simply Giving in featuring our campaign. I believe that this act of sharing and learning from each other will surely create a happier community 

1. Is this your first time running a fundraising campaign?
   Yes 
2. How did you hear about Simply Giving and MAKNA?
   I knew about MAKNA for a long time but they never caught my attention until I made a visit to the University Hospital(UH) Welfare department, the officer shared with me that UH welfare will refer their cancer patients to MAKNA when the hospital runs out of funds to help their patients. Then, when I met up with MAKNA, Vem shared with me about SimplyGiving.com, so…when I went home I set up my first simplygiving.com page 
3. What prompted you to fundraise? What was your personal motivation for this?
   The idea just came during an afternoon at a cafe after a cup of coffee, it was a light pulp idea :p Frankly I still can’t really recall how the idea arrived, I think I was asking what else I can do to help other than what I am doing now. Maybe a timeline of events will help 
   • The idea to go bald came
   • Then the date, Mar 8th was selected because of Woman’s Day
   • Then I decided on the number of ladies. Initially I was thinking of 8 ladies fof Mar 8th 
   • Next, I created Facebook event
   • Proposed to Winnie Loo, from A Cut Above, about the idea.
   • After Winnie’s confirmation, I started talking to all related parties.
4. How did you get your friends to donate? What methods/tools/channels did you use?
   I leveraged on social media platforms like a Facebook page, my own blog and simplygiving.com. Looking back, if there was better planning and more awareness, the donations could be a lot more 
5. On a scale of 1 (easy) to 10 (very difficult), how would you rate your fundraising journey so far?
   • Reaching the media and public is tough – 8
   • Getting resources & help – 3
   • Reaching the donation target – 5 (would be so much easier if the reach is good)
   • Getting Corporate to donate a big sum – 10
6. What will you do after your current milestone to get more funds?
   Do face to face pleas 
7. Did you learn anything from this interesting fundraising project?
   Yes, a lot  I’ve learnt soooooo much. Anything is possible when you gather the right people for the right cause. Big hearts are in each one of us and will appear when given a platform to give and share 
8. What are 3 tips you would leave for other fundraisers such as yourself?
   - Be true and sincere to what we do, what others say or think does not matter
   - Ask for help when needed, we can’t be good in everything but someone out there is good at what he/she does and is more than willing to help 
   - Can’t think of 3 :p
9. What did you like about using Simply Giving?
   Fast, simple and easy…except the part where Anonymous donors can’t be disclosed  (kidding) I understood and accepted it.
10. Lastly, would you fundraise again?
    Yes, I hope I can do it again on Mar 8th 2013  if yes, this time there will be better planning involved.

A Last Note: Shamaine and her team managed to raised a total number of RM77,000++ donations at the time of this post. Most of her funds were donated offline. But you can help her reach her goal of RM150,000 by donating online here."

A Day To Remember - Mar 8, 2012

If I look back my life when I'm 80 year old, Mar 8, 2012 is surely fits into a day to remember. What I did on Mar 8th, 2012? Shaved my head together with 16 ladies. Donated my hair (44cms) to Locks of Love in US and funds collected up to date at RM78,600.

No regret, done it and truly blessed. Helps was from everywhere and the event turned up a great success. A zero funding campaign, everything sponsored from sound system, musician, emcee, backdrop design, set up.....EVERYTHING! I'm happy with the result, without any prior fund raising and big event experience and pulled it through with all the helps from all big hearts.

In fact, Other than raising fund for the needed, the main objective for Bald is Empowering campaign is to create a platform and the awareness of giving, giving back to the needed societies no matter who there are with a transparency. Trying hard to promote the campaign, glad with all the exposures given by radio stations and TV stations, not wanting to put myself in the limelight but truly wanting the bald lady in our logo known by the people. To find out more about the campaign, can check out at www.bald-is-empowering.com. I am still welcoming donation until Mar 31st :)

I'm liking the new look very much, feeling light all the time, environmental friendly with less shampoo, conditioner and water used each time when I wash my hair now ^^ Considering to keep it for  year :p

The "Before"

& 

 The "After"

NO REGRET! ^^

Quotes - Giving

Each of us has "giving" taken up much spaces in our heart, while we open our heart to give,

the unexpected visit of loves and joys

will fill up the empty spaces after "giving" left.

 

 

 

~ Shamaine H. ~

What Makes Me Happy?

Andrew Sia from The Star paper given me few questions and asked me to give a few words in conjunction with International Woman's Day of "What Women Want", and I ended given lot of words ^^  I am grateful for these questions, not only given me a status-quo check and also a hamper from H20 and Topshop worth RM289 ^^

“Tough times make a tougher me from the outside but a softer me inside, I am stronger facing challenges but more compassionate to others”. 

What makes me happy?
* The ability to learn and give. Learning enlarges my capacity to accept how little I know, and I become more and more humble through learning.
* The ability to give and share makes my heart feel spacious and happy. Giving and sharing of love and care I sees smiles.
* Grateful to the receiving end given me the opportunity to give.
* Time spent with family and friends; jog in the park; exploring natures; reading; singing; dancing....many things can make me happy if I allowed to :)

What is most important to me?
* Knowing what is the purpose in life and living with it.
* Showing my children the right values, sharing joys with my parents and people around me.

What was most important to me 10 years ago?
* Money. Not that it is not important now, but it's not my priority. To keep on making money exhausts me, but to keep on learning, giving and sharing excite me.

What is on top of my wish-list?
* Travelling, exploring the unseens and appreciating the seens.

I want...
* I want a happy life.
* I wish good health and happiness everyday to everyone.

I am a mother of three, I am single. Tough time made a tougher me from the outside but a softer me inside, I am stronger facing challenges but more compassionate to others. I started involve in businesses when I was 20s, I backed to work at 30s, I started salsa, climbing, diving and done my MBA and half-marathon at age 40. I initiated a fund raising campaign for cancer patients with a group of ladies supporting and share the same belief with me. Doing it without any prior experiences but with a belief of force for good and I think is a success. I am not showing off of my achievements here because every individual has own measurement of success. But for me, is my way to show my children that learning never stop, my way to make my parents proud of their child.

Each achievment is a feeling happy booster to myself.