Kuala Lumpur, 23 July 2015 – Fifteen children with severe heart ailments and 80 children with special needs from two homes made it an evening to remember at the ‘Embrace the Gift of Life’ Buka Puasa Charity Dinner at the Shangri-La Hotel, Kuala Lumpur on 9 July.
The occasion was to present cheques totalling RM350,000 to the 15 children so that they could undergo immediate heart surgery. Mr Manfred Weber, General Manager of Shangri-La Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, handed the cheques to the parents of the children.
He also presented cheques of RM10,000 each to two homes for children with special needs — Tasputra Perkim and Pusat Penjagaan Kanak-Kanak Cacat Taman Megah.
A “special” guest at the event was Nor Fatihah Sewah, 19, who came with her physically challenged parents. Nor Fatihah was born without legs and was “adopted” by the Shangri-La Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, when she was 3 years old. The hotel also pledged to look after her needs till she is 21.
Supported by the hotel, she was fitted with prosthetic limbs, which have since been changed three times as she grew up. She walked into the hotel for the Buka Puasa Charity Dinner, pushing her mother who was in a wheelchair.
Nor Fatihah, who has passed her Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM), was also offered a job with the Shangri-La Hotel, Kuala Lumpur.
The funds for this charity event were raised through the Christmas Charity Tree 2014 which brought in RM150,000, with a contribution from the hotel to make up RM350,000.
“Funds collected are paid directly to the hospitals so that the children can be operated on without delay, cutting all the red tape,” said Mr Weber.
Together with Dato’ Rosemarie Wee, Area Director of Communications, he also presented duit raya and goodie bags to the children. The children were treated to a lavish festive spread specially prepared by the hotel to mark the occasion.