Nine
THE ROTARY STORY
CONTINUES (1992/3-1998)
(cont'd - 3)
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The "Heartbeat of Rotary"
Within the period under review, the Community Service Committee, maintaining
the belief that "Community Service is the Heartbeat of Rotary",
made great strides in introducing several new and innovative projects. Among
these was the Functional Literacy Project which saw the opening of a kindergarten
called Tadika Sunrise in the PJ squatter area of Kampong Baiduri in March
1994. Led by P.P. Seng Chuan and a few voluntary teachers comprising essentially
Rotary Anns, the group embarked on a literacy programme to impart basic reading
and writing skills to illiterate adults of the area besides maintaining free
tuition classes for the squatter children of the area at the same time.
Another notable project undertaken by this committee was the Langkawi Book Collection Project, originated by the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) on a national scale and subsequently supported and carried out by RCPJ during the term of P.P. Alfred Tsang. For this event, Rotarians helped to coordinate the efforts of seven PJ Interact Clubs in their task of collecting books and magazines amounting to over 7000 copies and costing more than RM50,000.00 in value. The collection was then handed officially to the MCA representative, Senator Rosalind Yau, as donations to the poor schoolchildren of Langkawi Island.
Throughout its existence, the Club has always prided itself on the range and extent of medical services it can offer to the community through the activities of the Community Service Committee. Free medical services offered to the Old Folks' Home at Sungei Way and the medical screening and deworming programmes Club members of the medical profession have provided to various PJ schools such as Sekolah Rendah Vivekenanda and Sekolah Rendah Sungei Way are prime examples. However in the last few years, rather than just conduct medical programmes on an adhoc basis and without any permanent venue to house its facilities, the Club, through the concerted efforts of P.P. Dr. Fernandez and P.P. Jack Chan, was able to obtain corporate sponsorship from Pan Malaysian Pools Sdn. Bhd. to establish an Outpatient Clinic located at the Balai Raya JKKK, Kampong Tun Razak along Jalan Kelang in Puchong for an initial period of two years. Built at a cost of RM35,000.00, the clinic, officially opened by Datuk Dr. Zainal Ariff Hussain who acted on behalf of Datin Paduka Zaleha Ismail in November 1995, provides free treatment to underprivileged patients for common ailments, antenatal services and simple eye problems. Recently, it procured a "Sonotron" machine, reputed to relieve and cure skin cancers and chronic arthritis on a loan basis, to add to its list of medical facilities. The clinic operates twice weekly with the assistance of volunteers recruited from among the doctors, Anns and some staff nurses of the Assunta Hospital. The group of RCPJ "Florence Nightingales" who have so ably assisted Drs. Dunstan and Teresa Fernandez as well as Dr. Edward Noronha, (a non-Rotarian) in running the clinic on a shift basis are Vicky Chan, Amrit Gill, Wong May Ling, Tsang Yoke Kee, Rebecca Si, Karen Teo, Carol Ong, Joyce Yong, Ivy Liew, Joan Pereira, Susan Yap and Krishnaveny. For her dedication and unstinting sense of duty to the Puchong clinic as the 'resident' doctor-in-charge, Dr. Teresa Fernandez was awarded the Paul Harris Fellowship at the RCPJ Installation Night of President Rosman Din on 11 July1997.
Another outstanding project, considered by the Community Service Committee of 1994 as its 'Crowning Glory' was the "Golden Child" project which managed to win the Best Overall District Community Project Award for that year. With attention focussed on cancer-stricken children, this programme, officially launched by Dato Mohd. Farid Ariffin at the premises of Yayasan Cancerlink, received extensive publicity from the press, especially Sin Chew Jit Poh. Its implementation took root when twenty two cancer-stricken children from the Kuala Lumpur General and University Hospitals, accompanied by their mothers and nurses were taken on a weekend retreat to Port Dickson in May 1994. With Fabian Pereira acting as Camp Commandant, the children were feted and entertained by PJ Rotarians and members of the Malaysian Nature Society alike with the latter also initiating them into the intricacies of stargazing in Port Dickson. The value of continuing worthwhile projects on an ongoing basis also saw the Community Service Committee of 1997/8 organising a trip to the A'Famosa Resort off Malacca in April 1998 for cancer-afflicted children.
In a move to bring happiness, even though shortlived, to the sick or deprived, Rotarians who serve under the Community Service label try continuously to conduct activities which feature service to the handicapped and orphaned children as key items in their programmes. Children from the Spastics Centre, YMCA School for the Deaf, Perkim Malaysia, The Care and Cheshire Homes have all been taken in turn to Genting Highlands and Sunway Lagoon, for instance, for picnics and excursions by PJ Club members, quite often under the joint sponsorship of corporate bodies like Resorts World Berhad.
Even though it is inevitable that every Community Service Committee attempts to highlight major events it undertakes in its year of office, it can nevertheless be seen that each new committee makes it a point to engage in other 'core' charitable activities such as the School Nutrition and Assistance Programmes, Cheer Programmes and Programmes for the Aged. All these programmes, more or less, have become the mainstay of each succeeding Committee's projects. In addition to obtaining free milk and biscuits from the Club under the School Nutrition Programme started in 1972, quite a few schools in PJ have also benefited from the affiliated Schools' Assistance Programme which doles out free uniforms and shoes to underprivileged children. In fact, PJ Club stresses so much importance on the School Nutrition Programme that it decided to apply to Rotary International for this programme to be listed under the World Community Service project during the presidency of P.P. Liew Shou Kong. As for the needy and aged, wheelchairs and other medical equipment have been donated to them through the Charity Foundation Fund of the Club from time to time. The sick and handicapped are also not forgotten on festive occasions when 'Cheer' groups from among the Rotarians and Anns present gifts to them at Christmas, Deepavali, Hari Raya and Chinese New Year's time.
