F&N Merry Christmas Treat

Joy and happiness beamed from the faces of 45 underprivileged children from three homes as they experienced a fun outing enjoying the sounds of Yuletide and the visual elements and spirit of Christmas at the Sunway Velocity Mall recently.

The action-packed day was organised by Fraser & Neave Holdings Bhd (F&NHB) in collaboration with the Sunway Velocity Mall with the objective of bringing the children together to mingle, play and experience the spirit of Christmas.

For Chuah Wen Jun, a 14-year-old resident of Persatuan Kebajikan Rumah Victory Malaysia and his newfound friends from Praise Emmanuel Children’s Home and Persatuan Rumah Sayangan, an invitation for a day-out at a shopping mall is always a treat. “I love going to the shopping mall to look at the window decorations and be treated to some ice cream. I was thrilled at the chance to visit one, especially during this time of the year when everything is so beautiful with the festive decoration.

“My brothers and sisters from my home were all so excited and happy to have been invited to this fun day. We also got to meet new friends from two other homes and had a great time exploring the mall and playing the games together during the Christmas Challenge,” he said, sporting a big smile on his face.

Thirteen-year-old Grace Kavitha from Persatuan Rumah Sayangan mirrored his sentiments. “We had so much fun playing the games as a team. I am very thankful for this opportunity. We made many new friends and had a lot of fun with the aunties and uncles. Nandri/Thank You F&N.”

The fun-filled day started with each child getting a chocolate croissant and F&N Magnolia milk as they arrived which was then followed by various activities. The children were divided into groups of seven to complete a series of games at activity points set up in different areas of the shopping mall, which they needed to find from the clues given like a treasure hunt. This was followed by a scrumptious lunch and ice cream at Swensen’s Grill & Ice Cream shop.

The games included spinning the wheel, throwing a ping pong into a cup, a target game and an upcycling activity for creating a wallet using recycled tetra packs. Whilst teams with the most points won gifts from F&NHB, school bags and presents were distributed to all 45 children to add to their Christmas excitement.

“The games were so cool, we had so much fun running around the shopping mall and trying to win more points for our team. Thank you so much for our gifts and school items, I love them and can’t wait to try them out next year,” said Suriya, 9, from Praise Emmanuel Children’s Home who was part of the winning team, ‘Pink’.

F&NHB’s Head of Communications & Corporate Affairs, Karen Tan said, “Christmas gives us an opportunity to instil the spirit of sharing and caring for the community. This Christmas activity brought together underprivileged children from across three homes and it was all about encouraging them to get out, socialise and have fun. Spreading joy and laughter is the essence of Christmas and this was the best way to spread the festive spirit,” said Tan.

“We would like to thank everyone who made this day possible including the management of the Sunway Velocity Mall, Tetra Pak Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., Swensen’s Grill & Ice Cream shop and our on-ground activity partner, Leaderonomics for helping us to create a memorable Christmas for the children,” she further stated.

According to the home administrators who were also present at the event, it was thrilling to watch the children roll up their sleeves and actively participate in games with both new and familiar faces. “It really is a wonderful time of the year for our children, thanks to F&N spreading festive cheer in this manner. They really enjoyed themselves and are all looking forward to savouring their goodies back home,” one said with a smile, watching the children from her home playing games.

Later in the evening, the Sunway Velocity Mall marked their anniversary by hosting the children to high tea amidst performances by magicians and other Christmas nativities. The three homes were also presented with tokens from the management of the Mall in addition to those from F&NHB.

This is the seventh year that F&NHB is running the Christmas programme, which aims to spread the joy and goodwill of the season to underprivileged children from various homes across Malaysia