the importance of a community

6 months ago, i decided to bring my brother who has autism to Running Hour Cooperative (RH) and i think it's one of the best decisions i've made for him and myself as it provided both of us a community.

prior to joining this, my brother has always been a lone wolf. he'd go explore singapore on his own, visit arcades, and discover food places that fit his palate. at some point, he did get scammed of his money in exchange for these scammers wanting to "make friends" with him. hence, i decided to bring him to RH, whereby their whole goal is to put people with special needs first, and to provide them an inclusive community where they could make friends safely while exercising.

for me, as a caretaker, i really didn't expect to gain much from joining RH, as i initially started volunteering as a way of saying thank you for helping my brother. soon enough, i myself felt a sense of belonging due to the amount of caretakers in RH as well. it was my first time hearing other people sharing the same experiences as me, even the scamming was very common amongst their kids/siblings, which to me was unheard of whenever i shared that story to people around me.

prior to this, i've never understood the word "community" wholeheartedly, and now i do. it is a space where you can share your thoughts safely, with everyone working towards the same goal as you. in this case for us at RH, it is to provide physical activity and a space for people with special needs, and they always come first.

this sense of belonging was what really drew me into what River Valley Irregulars stand for, which is providing this exact community for youth, no matter which life/career stage you're in.