Hotel donates money to two homes and three kids in need of surgery

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IT WAS a pleasant surprise for two homes that received donations from Shangri-La Hotel Kuala Lumpur. Both homes namely Taman Megah’s Handicapped and Disabled Children’s Home and Tasputra Perkim received RM3,000 each.

Nearly 100 children from both homes were invited by the hotel to enjoy a festive spread.

“This will go towards the funds we are collecting to build a new three-storey ‘one-stop centre’ where we will have enough space to provide therapy, training and education to our charges,” Taman Megah’s Handicapped and Disabled Children’s Home president Umah Kumar said.

A little help goes a long way: The three children who received financial help posing with their mothers.

According to Umah, they had already procured the land on which the centre is to be built at RM2.56mil and of the RM5mil they need for the building they have only raised RM1.5mil so far.

“At our current place, we don’t have enough space for everyone, which is why we need the building,” Umah said, adding that she hoped more would come forward to support their cause.

As for Tasputra, its chairman Elahe Norman said they needed RM45,000 a month to run the place.

She added that in the current economic situtation, every sen donated to running the facility helped.

“We provide physical, occupational and speech therapy in addition to monitoring the diets of our charges and making sure they do regular exercise that will strengthen their muscles,” Elahe said.

She added that the centre needed a new place for the older and more active children.

“Most of our staff members as well as the parents of the children in our care are single mothers and it’s not easy taking care of all of them,” Elahe said.

The event also saw three children receiving RM15,000 to undergo corrective surgeries. Two other children, both aged 12, received funds for prosthesis limbs.

Hotel area communications director Rosemarie Wee said the children were selected based on their need.

“Some of them, like Intan Syakila Mohammad Ghazali has two holes in her heart and her operation costs more than the funds we donated. We’re hoping the public will rally and contribute so this one-year-old can live,” Wee said, adding that the child’s parents had three other children and earned only RM1,000 a month.

After the feast, the kids received duit raya and festive cookies from Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts Group vice president Lothar Nessman.