The Dawn of A New Era

Dear Friends,

When I started our P2P group 2 years ago, I had 2 objectives in mind. The first is to use this as a platform to share kindness opportunities, e.g upcoming volunteer events, donation drives or any meaningful causes that require support. The second objective is to encourage everyone that we can all come together to make a difference and that every one of us will just need to contribute a little each. This concept is illustrated by using a small contribution of $2 as an example; if we have 1,000 donors, we would have accumulated $2,000 and if we have 1M donors then the total contribution will be a large sum of $2M. As simple as a small contribution of $2 can make a big difference when we combine our efforts, the same goes if every one of us give kindness whenever and wherever we can, all our acts of kindness when added up will help create a big impact, thus building a more heartwarming and gracious community for us and our future generations.

Our group slowly evolves to serve other purposes as our number grows. When positive energy generated from giving kindness attracted more like-minded friends on board, we helped many volunteer groups and individuals achieve their targets in helping the less fortunate, at times when all seem lost. We are starting to make an impact collectively as a group. With the great privilege of having many founders of volunteer/ charity groups gathered here in P2P, we slowly become the bridge connecting volunteers to volunteer groups to beneficiaries to individuals campaigning good causes to anyone who wish to make a difference. The kindness community which I always envisaged is forming right here in P2P. I am so proud to see the sheer volume of love being spread around as everyone is focused on the giving. The fact that a giving group like us has grown to 9,000 members is a perfect testimony of the Singapore Spirit and what the people of Singapore are really made up of. You can't find the best deals that would benefit you here, you won't take anything much away from here but still you came to give. You do that because there is love in your heart and because of what you do, our future will be brighter and the world will be a better place.

The last 2 years have been one of the most memorable period in my life as I enjoyed every minute doing what I am doing. What started off as an interest slowly became a passion which then gave me a sense of purpose in life. I sometimes wondered if this is my calling. With smartphones and data plans, I am no longer bounded by the desktop as I can be as involved as I possibly can, even on the go. There was once when I was sharing one kindness initiative per day and even so, I was already holding myself back in order not to flood the group with too many posts. I can do P2P stuff anytime, anywhere, before office hours, during office hours, after office hours, weekend and every single day of the year. Even when I was overseas on my holiday trips, I checked in to see how were things going in P2P. Some friends asked if this was my full time job while others complimented on my relentless energy in being so involved with these online work. The downside of it all is when you spend so much time, effort and energy in one area, you are likely to sacrifice time in other areas of your life.

All these while when I have been so involved and focused in promoting kindness among our community, encouraging everyone to be kind whenever they can, even to strangers; all these while when I preached about loving your family members and loved ones, I asked myself this, "have I, Jason Cai, been kind enough to my own family?" For every second I spend thinking how to help a charitable cause, for every second I spend writing my long winded post, replying all the enquries on my posts or via PM, consolidating pledges, researching and compiling lists on where to donate your preloved stuff, children items, sharing about volunteer groups and opportunities; for every second I spend promoting kindness on P2P, is the very exact second I lost connecting with my loved ones, my family members; the same second that I could used to care for their well-beings, understand their needs, show more concerns and be more loving towards them. This is harsh reality of life as we cannot have the best of everything.

I pondered this a long while, now that things are more or less settled down in P2P, maybe it's time for leadership transition in P2P? Maybe it is time to slow down and pass on the responsibilities to someone who is equally capable, if not more capable than me? I started talent scouting for my admins way before I had these plans. Back then, it was more of finding a covering admin just in case I am not around. Now, it is not about finding someone to cover anymore, it's about finding successor who can really take over the group and take it further. I wish to express my gratitude and appreciation to my 3 admins, Derek, Vicknes and JiaJia, who are gracious and brave enough to take up this admin role. They did not become our group admins by chance, I saw great potential in each one of them and persuaded them to take on the admin roles. Over the past few months, I have shared with them all my knowledge and experience in managing the group, in view that they may one day take over the group from me. The time has come earlier than expected but I am pleased to announce that it's time for them to step out of the shadows and take over the main duties of managing our group. I very much hope that you can continue to give them your trust and support as P2P continues to be the platform to create more awareness for kindness opportunities and to provide much needed support for the volunteer groups and charitable causes.

We have a few sharings in the pinned post that are quite useful for our members, like the list of volunteer groups, the lists of where to donate preloved and children items. I have made them all editable under our shared group documents, so that all members can add on to the list if you have anything useful to add. I have also managed to launch my ebook today, which I hope can be a source of inspiration for friends aspiring to lead a purposeful and meaningful life. The ebook can be found in our group files here:
https://www.facebook.com/download/1733918220177815/Be%20Kind%20Be%20Positive%20Be%20Happy%20-%20An%20eBook%20By%20Jason%20Cai.pdf

So, what's next for Jason Cai? I will still be around, not to worry, but I will be taking a more reserved role as I pass the responsibilities of managing P2P to my admins. I do still welcome any friends to PM me to ask for advice but I may not be able to promise you an instant response. If there are any urgent matters, please look any of our 3 admins, they will be more than happy to assist you. As I slow down to fulfil my other responsibilities in life, I wish to thank all of you for your trust, support and many encouragements that you have given me throughout this journey. They are my greatest source of motivation to keep going all these while. I want to thank all the volunteer leaders and friends whom I have worked with to campaign for your causes, it has been my great privilege to be involved, please continue to keep up the excellent work and provide more kindness opportunities to bond our community and help those in need. It is not easy being a volunteer leader so be proud of what you do and what you stand up for.

The kindness journey will never end, we must continue to open our hearts to opportunities to do good, to help one another and to improve things for the better. Why are we building the kindness community and developing the kindness culture? It is going to be our biggest safety net, for you, for me and for many generations to come. The kindness project will benefit everyone as we progress to a better world together. Thank you for believing in this vision and thank you so much for your love and kindness. Till we meet again, please take good care of yourself, stay healthy and happy always :)smile emoticon

With Love,

Jason Cai