Making a difference: She gives free spectacles to kids
We are featuring six everyday heroes have made a difference in the lives of strangers. Their heart-warming deeds are celebrated in the ongoing Good Man Good Deeds Good Rice campaign, a collaboration between Chinese evening daily Lianhe Wanbao and Tong Seng Produce, which will donate 500kg of its SongHe rice and 60 litres of canola oil each to charities of their choice
It is 9am on a Saturday morning and shops in Bedok Point have yet to open, But some 30 children and their parents are already queueing outside Ms Lynn Lin's optical shop Trendy Eyes.
The 37-year-old owner of the store gives free spectacles to kids from low-income families.
It is a collaboration between Ms Lin and YYD Tuition Centre, a tuition service set up by Yun Yin Dian Association for children of low-income families.
Ms Lin had been asked to help by a friend - a volunteer at the tuition centre - and she immediately agreed.
Over 70 children have already benefited from this service.
To ensure that everything went smoothly, Ms Lin started two hours earlier and even hired a tempto help her three full-time staff.
She said: "Many of the children had scratched lenses, some had broken frames glued together, some needed new prescriptions.
"Maybe they didn't change their spectacles because of finances. Some children are playful and break their spectacles."
It normally costs $88 for a consultation and a pair of spectacles. She estimates her gesture has cost her over $6,000 so far.
Ms Lin said: "I don't want anything in return, I just hope to help where I can."
Some of her customers are teachers who buy spectacles for their students, and she gives them a discount because she wants to assist them to help their students.
Another of Ms Lin's customers, a businessman, even donated $1,000 to YYD Tuition Centre in support of what she was doing.
She said: "I am excited that I can rally others to do good."
Even Bedok Point's management did not charge Ms Lin for the extra electricity she incurred by operating her shop two hours earlier when it learnt that it was for a good cause.
Ms Lin said: "Actually there are many people who are willing to help, they just need an opportunity."
Ms Lin's choice of charity is Sunlove Home. Founded in 1987, the home helps about 200 mentally ill patients and provides treatment for them to raise their confidence and integrate with society.
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