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About Us |
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15 YEARS OF ADDING THE MOST IMPORTANT INGREDIENT IN LIVES OF OTHERS...LOVEPetaling Jaya, December 1, 2005 – Whilst McDonald’s adds passion into their food, Ronald McDonald Children’s Charities Fund of Malaysia (RMHC), the charity arm of McDonald’s Malaysia, adds their own special ingredient into the lives of the less fortunate – Love. And today, RMHC celebrated its 15th Anniversary with individuals, corporate partners and donors as well as business partners who have enabled them to come closer to their objective of lending a helping hand to the less fortunate children in Malaysia. Present at this auspicious event was the Minister of Women, Family and Community Development, Yang Berhormat Dato’ Seri Sharizat Abdul Jalil. Also present to lend their support to RMHC were Managing Director/Joint Venture Partner of McDonald’s Malaysia, Mohamed Shah Tan Sri Abdul Kadir, local artistes including Amy Mastura, Dina and Vic of Malaysian Idol 1, Farah and Ash of Malaysian Idol 2. “Being here at this event fills me with great pride and humility. Pride for the fact that RMHC has been a beacon of hope for 15 years, selflessly providing children with care, support and guidance. And humility, for the magnitude in which they go about their task with steely determination, fierce dedication and unrivalled passion,” said YB Dato’ Seri Shahrizat To RMHC, helping means more than soliciting donations and making sure it reaches those in need. It is about adding that ingredient of love into the lives of Malaysians and educating them to add that very ingredient into the lives of others and finding joy in doing it. It is about putting a smile onto the faces of children who receive help as well putting a smile onto the faces of Malaysians who lend a helping hand. For 15 years, RMHC has been extending their helping hand to the less fortunate in three main areas: health, education and social services. “In the eyes of others, helping may just be about providing financial aid but at RMHC, we make a point to spend time to talk to people who seek our help in hope to understand their situation and discover what is it that they really need. Understanding those people and putting ourselves in their shoes make us more aware and sensitive to their needs, needs that might not seem so obvious to the eyes of others,” said Fadillah Yakin, President of RMHC. In the area of health, RMHC built a house to shelter families whose children suffer from serious illnesses and need long-term treatment at a hospital, knowing that these families might face the predicament of finding a place to stay and more over, carrying the burden of paying for it. The Ronald McDonald House (RMH), located at the Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia plays the role of a home away from home for the families in need. The Rumah Ronald McDonald HUKM (RMH), established in 2001, is not only the first House built in Malaysia, but also the first and the one and only, in the ASEAN region. To date RMH has housed more than 180 families and since its inception, it has been continuously providing a safe haven. The most recent initiative championed by RMHC is the “Give a Gift of Smile” campaign launched in conjunction with McDonald’s World Children’s in October 2003. Under this program, about 40 children received their gift of smile and 14 more children will be treated in the near future. In the area of education, besides introducing its own scholarship program called the RMHC TUNAS WAWASAN to assist financially challenged Malaysian students with academic potential with their education, RMHC also built a library in a remote school located at Tong Pelu, Kedah. “We came to Sekolah Fatimah in Tong Pelu and felt that they needed not only books to nourish their knowledge but also a conducive environment to stimulate their minds. Most importantly, our aim was to improve the level of English amongst the children here,” enthused Fadillah. In the area of social welfare, each year RMHC organizes fun events and parties during festive seasons to treat underprivileged children to activities during special occasions so that they are not left out of celebrations and festivities, which other children will take for, granted. Recently, RMHC had organised a DeepaRaya celebration at RMH for the children and their families with fun games and entertaining activities like teaching them to make the Malay ketupat and also the Indian art of ‘kolam’. All these could not have been made possible without the support from our fellow Malaysians. McDonald's customers too, play a major role in making more children smile with the small change they drop into the little coin boxes placed on the counter of every McDonald's restaurant. At McDonald’s and RMHC, "A little change, changes lives". “Love is the most important ingredient for life just as passion is for success. With it, your life vibrates warmth and meaning. Even in hardship, love shines through. And that’s why we want to add love into the lives of children in need and those who can and have the potential to lend a hand. As you look back upon your life you will realize that the moments when you have really lived, are the moments when you have done things in a spirit of love,” said Fadillah on an ending note. |
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