Annual FamilyRetreat
Held from 18 to 21 December 2015, CCFAnnual Family Retreat (AFR) saw
14 CCF beneficiaries and their families coming together for a ‘wild’ time in
Da Nang, Vietnam. Themed ‘Where the Wild Things Are’, the participants
embarkedonanadventure toexplore thedifferent identitieswithin their family.
To start the ball rolling, participants were first introduced to the AFR theme
song titled “All is Love” and a mass dance. There were also ice breakers to
help participants warm up to each other and to draw out their competitive
spirits. After they were grouped, the teams were tasked to design their group
identities and compose cheerswhich best represented them.When it was time
to showcase their cheers, the ballroomwas filledwith laughter as some of the
personas and cheerswere hilarious!
After lunch, the families gathered for a tele-match to pit their wits and strength
against eachother. Thegamesaimed toencourage teamwork, communication
and trust between family members. One of the tele-matches was called “My
Home, My Shelter, My Comfort” which saw families fishing out puzzle pieces
from a giant pond using their makeshift ‘fishing rods’. The puzzle pieceswhen
pieced together formed a house to represent the sense of comfort a home
brings when a family member faces challenges out in the ‘wild’. To conclude
DayOne, the families decorated their respective booths for the ‘WildCarnival’
which theywouldbehosting for theoutpatientsand their familiesatHueCentral
Hospital the next day.
Day Two began with breakfast and a three-hour bus journey to Hue. As soon
as the participants reached the hospital, everyone got busy setting up for the
muchanticipated carnival. Thereweregames, yummy food stalls, creativearts
andcraftsactivitiesandevenaphotocorner!Thecarnival waswell receivedby
theVietnameseparticipants.
One of theAFR teams visited the inpatient Oncology ward at the hospital and
introduced the young patients to therapeutic play activities such as Hospital
Bingo, Treat Train and medical art kits. It was an uplifting sight to see CCF
childhood cancer survivors giving back to the community as they encouraged
and inspired the youngpatients at HueCentral Hospital.
THEBESTADVENTURESALWAYS
BRINGUSBACKHOME!
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