Designs For Charity
YB Datuk Ong Tee Keat receiving a caricature portrait of himself from Vijendran Arulrajah, Senior Director of Operation and Principal of PRIME College USJ. The caricature was the work of Chan Hua Loon, a student of MSC International College , who goes by the pen-name Cosmo. |
1st July 2005 Launched by YB Datuk Ong Tee Keat, Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports, the event is to benefit 2 carefully selected charity organisations, Persatuan Kebajikan Warga Tua & Kanak-Kanak Wilayah Persekutuan and Rumah Charis Community Point. The event is to be held in the Concourse area of The Summit shopping centre. Activities to draw funds for this charitable event are stage performances by the students, food bazaar and stalls selling the arts and crafts of design students. “I have always believed that young people who are involved in making something beautiful today are less likely to turn to acts of violence and destruction tomorrow,” said YB Datuk Ong Tee Keat.
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“Art and design education programmes are rapidly gaining popularity today. The arts not only inculcate foundational skills needed for employment, but also life skills like decision making, reasoning, creative thinking, problem solving and visualizing. The education and the skills inculcated will help students develop the knowledge, skills and understanding they need to live confident, healthy, independent lives as individuals, parents, workers and members of society.”
Education in the arts also involves education of a caring and responsible community in which will provide coherence in the way which all students develop a full understanding in their roles and responsibilities as Malaysians.
“I am pleased to see that our society is starting to slowly yet surely begin to accept arts as not only an extra curriculum discipline, but as a core discipline,” said YB Datuk Ong. “Arts is essential to the function of our society and culture. Although it is usually regarded as a “fun” thing to do when one is not working, it is up to you, young artists and designers, to assist people in realising the importance of this discipline. “
“The event was a brainchild of our design lecturer and her students who always believed that education is also educating one to be good contributors to the community and society,” said Palaniappan Annamalai, Principal of the College.
“As this is the first time we are organising such an event, we hope that the community will show their support by coming here to donate or buy the vouchers to purchase the items we are selling. All proceeds will be channelled directly to both charities that we are supporting,” said Palaniappan.
The two charitable organisations were chosen as the students and their lecturer have done research on charities within the area that were more in need of funding. Their selection was based on those that had less frequent support from companies and one that was put up by a family out of the goodwill of their own heart. “We wanted to support charities like these as they had less funding, especially the charity home run by a family who most of the time did whatever they could to help the needy, with or without contributions from society.”
As the College is part of SEG International Bhd (SEGi), a public listed company on the Bursa Malaysia, SEGi has pledged that it will match every ringgit donated into a scholarship fund for the children of the homes.
The event is also an opportunity for our design students to showcase their talents, said Palaniappan. It would allow them the chance to showcase their talents and also to build their confidence in their design work. The event is said to likely become an annual affair for the students.
Cheque term donations can be made payable to “Summit Multimedia Education Sdn Bhd' and written behind for Art with a Heart. To find out more, call MSC International College at 03-8600 1888.