SPECIAL CHILDREN FIND COMFORT IN NEW RONALD McDONALD SNOEZELEN ROOM

Hutan Melintang, Perak, November 23, 2005 - In conjunction with its 15th anniversary, Ronald McDonald Children’s Charities Fund of Malaysia (RMHC) built and handed over a Ronald McDonald Snoezelen Room to Bethany Home in Hutan Melintang, Perak. The official opening of the room was performed by Perak State Executive Counselor, YB Dato G. Rajoo today. This Ronald McDonald Snoezelen Room is the second in Malaysia and it represents a community project donated by Ronald McDonald Children’s Charities Fund of Malaysia or RMHC to Bethany Home in Hutan Melintang, Perak.

The first Ronald McDonald Snoezelen Room costing RM50, 000 was built at the Society For the Severely Mentally Handicapped Selangor and Federal Territory (SSMH) centre in Petaling Jaya in 1999. This second room which is larger and has more equipment was built at a cost of RM100, 000. RMHC donated RM90, 000 for this project while Bethany Home had contributed the remaining RM 10,000. Snoezelen Rooms are renowned worldwide for their ability to provide sensory stimulation for its users and improves interaction among the special children.

RMHC President, Puan Fadillah Yakin said “The room has been known to work wonders for people with special needs and based on its usefulness amongst the special children in SSMH, I am confident the special children here at the Bethany Home will benefit from it too. In line with RMHC’s objective of helping kids in the areas of health and education, we are planning to build several more such facilities in centers for children with disabilities throughout the country in the near future.”

In his official speech officiating the facility, Perak State Executive Counselor, YB Dato’ G. Rajoo thanked RMHC for this meaningful donation to the special children in Bethany Home. He said the donation is a good example of McDonald’s caring corporate citizenship. Through RMHC, its charity arm, McDonald’s Malaysia lends a helping hand to the unprivileged, especially the children. Visiting the room as part of the opening ceremony, children could be seen looking on in wonder as they touched the glowing fibre optic vinyl-covered strands in the Ronald McDonald Snoezelen Room, the walls of which were illuminated with coloured lights. Sweet smelling fragrance filled the air while soothing music could be heard in the background. The specially designed room helps to stimulate and enhance the senses of touch, sight, smell and hearing.