F&N Brings Christmas Cheer to Kids in Need

Christmas season is one of the most wonderful time of the year to create unforgettable memories with family and friends. However, not everyone has the opportunity to celebrate the festive season with their loved ones.

In the true spirit of Christmas, Fraser & Neave Holdings Bhd (F&NHB) recently spread joy to 31 children and teenagers aged between one and 18 years old from the USJ and Klang branches of Persatuan Rumah Kanak-Kanak Ini Disayangi (Persatuan Rumah KIDS), by bringing them on a fun shopping spree at the SWAN Concept Store.

The activity not only gave the residents of Persatuan Rumah KIDS an early Christmas treat but also helped them prepare for the 2020 school term. During the shopping spree, the children and teenagers were paired with volunteers from F&N to shop for their back- to-school necessities such as uniforms, shoes, school bags and stationery. Twenty-one primary school kids were given RM200 each while 10 kids who will be attending secondary schools next year received RM250 each to purchase school supplies for the upcoming new school year.

Speaking at the event, Cariessa Goh, Corporate Affairs Manager, F&NHB expressed the Group’s joy in bringing happiness to the residents of Persatuan Rumah KIDS during the festive season. “It is an honour for us to bring the kids out for a day of fun and spend an early Christmas get-together with them. Christmas is the season of giving and everyone regardless of their backgrounds should have the opportunity to join in the celebration. We hope that the shopping spree helps the children and teenagers experience a wonderful and meaningful Christmas this year.

“For every student, purchasing school necessities is one of the best parts of the back-to-school preparation. Having new school supplies and uniforms can give the kids a boost of confidence and help them start the new school term on the right foot. We are delighted to bring that experience to them and hopefully, our contribution helps lessen the financial burden shouldered by Persatuan Rumah KIDS to buy school essentials for the Home residents,” she added.

Radio announcer, Hani Fadzil and TV host, Nabil Mahir led the children and teenager through a variety of fun games such as ‘Guess the Superhero’ and ‘Action Memorisation’, alongside Santa Claus and a Christmas Elf, to help the kids relax before the F&N volunteers accompanied them to browse the many selections of uniforms, shoes and other school necessities at the store.

According to David Janssen Nathan, Public Relations Manager of Grace Community Services which manages Persatuan Rumah KIDS, the children and teenagers come from disadvantaged backgrounds. “Persatuan Rumah KIDS aims to facilitate a safe, loving and conducive environment that allows the kids to grow, build their self-esteem and unlock their full potential to be contributing members of society when they enter the real world.

“We welcome and appreciate organisations such as F&N that come forward to support and empower the kids to become self-sufficient and to not lose hope in striving to be the very best, no matter the odds. Therefore, I am thankful that F&N and its employees took the time out of their busy schedule to not only organise such an enjoyable event for the kids but also to engage and empower them to make wise choices with the amount of money given to them during the shopping spree, thus creating memorable moments this Christmas,” he added.

Meanwhile, Eric Joseph s/o Edward Daniel Kumar, a caretaker at the USJ branch of Persatuan Rumah KIDS could not contain his delight after witnessing the children and teenagers enjoying themselves at the event. “Seeing the kids so happy fuels my passion to continue helping them and pushing them to achieve big things in life.

“Each time they are showered with so much love, it reminds them that they are just like any regular kids. I am glad to see them smile, laugh and have such an enjoyable time, along with their adoptive brothers and sisters. I would like to thank F&N for giving them an opportunity to get into the Christmas merriment and gifting them with much-needed school supplies for the upcoming school year,” he said.

During the shopping spree, the F&N volunteers ensured the kids made informed choices about their purchases such as choosing the right sizes for uniforms and shoes, picking the most suitable school bags and buying stationery that offered the best value for money.

“I am really happy and grateful because this is the first time that we have been given the opportunity to choose a generous amount of school supplies for the new school year. Not only was I able to get new school supplies, I also got myself some magic pens for drawing so that I could develop my creativity and have more fun when I start university next year,” said Manisha d/o Nagaraja, 17, who recently finished her secondary school studies.

Ten-year-old Emanual Lee expressed his gratitude to F&N for giving him and his adoptive brothers and sisters an early Christmas. “We all treat each other like actual siblings in one big family and I am ecstatic that we all get to purchase what we need before school starts. I would like to thank F&N for this wonderful Christmas gift and I look forward to heading back to school next year with my brand new school items,” he said.

The half-day event ended with lunch and the kids received candies and goodie bags before returning to their respective homes in USJ and Klang.

Since opening its doors in 1991, Persatuan Rumah KIDS has been reaching out to abused, orphaned and abandoned children across Malaysia. Under the guidance of house parents, the children are loved and cared for in a loving environment where they develop friendships with other ‘brothers’ and ‘sisters’ living under the same roof. Besides providing for the children’s basic needs such as food, clothing and education, they also give importance to the spiritual, mental and physical needs of every child.