Witnessing this event were over 100 disadvantaged children from Tasputra Perkim and Pusat Penjagaan Kanak Kanak Cacat Taman Megah, children from the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) and hotel guests.
The carollers burst into song as the tree dazzled with the lights and there was applause from the children and others present.
The Christmas Charity Tree is an annual charity project titled “Embrace the Gift of Life” initiated by the Shangri-La Hotel, Kuala Lumpur to aid children suffering from serious heart ailments and who need surgery.
As expected each year, the Christmas Charity Tree is a huge draw. This year it has the theme – Merry Nutcracker Joy Ride. Splendidly crafted sugarpieces of Nutcracker soldiers and trains, made by the hotel’s pastry artists, are stacked up on a conical steel structure to form the 12-foot-tall Christmas Tree.
The sugarpieces are for sponsorship by donors, each for a minimum donation of RM1,000/-. The donors’ names or company logos will be prominently displayed against each sugarpiece.
The Christmas Charity Tree 2014 has 10 tiers, with Nutcracker soldiers and trains on alternating tiers. Nutcracker soldiers crown the topmost tier. A unique feature this year is that the tiers with trains on them rotate on the tree.
The lighting up of the tree was preceded by a tea party for the children, complete with clown and balloons, at the hotel’s Lemon Garden Cafe. Mr Weber also distributed Christmas angpows to all the children.
Since 1985 the hotel has helped hundreds of critically ill children and raised more than RM3 million through this Christmas Charity Tree. This year, the funds raised from the Christmas Charity Tree will benefit 10 children:
Three-year-old Muhammad Aiman Loang Abdul Rahman suffers from severe congenital heart disease. He needs surgery to repair TOF, a cardiac anomaly that refers to a combination of four related heart defects. Surgery cost is RM50,000. His father Muhammad Adam Loang Abdullah, a freelance consultant, earns RM4,200 a month. His mother Rahimah Rahim is a housewife.
Four-month-old Cayenne Chiam Jia Yin has Atrial Ventricular Septal Defect or two large holes in the heart. She needs surgery to correct the heart defects which costs RM50,000. Her father Chiam Shiun Cheng is a marketing executive earning RM2,600 a month. Her mother Yeo Siew Hua is a housewife.
Three-year-old Cheah Chai Thong suffers from hole in the heart, blockage of blood vessel to the lungs and possible abnormal origin of one of the blood vessels supplying the muscle of the heart. She needs surgery that costs about RM46,000. Her father Cheah Theng Joo services computers and earns RM2,500 a month. Her mother Heng Ai Hwa is a housewife.
Three-year-old Jesu Jeyapragas suffers from a hole in the heart and the blood vessel to the lungs is blocked. He needs surgery costing RM48,000. His father Jeyapragas Thavamtoo is a salesman and earns RM3,343 a month. His mother Christina Saras A/P Ramasamy is a housewife
Two-year-old Mariyam Nur Yaasin Yusrin suffers from PDA, a persistent opening between two major blood vessels leading from the heart, and pulmonary valve stenosis. She needs Pulmonary Valvuloplasty and PDA occlusion, surgery which costs RM42,000. Her father Yusrin Abd Kadir, a driver, earns RM1,700 a month. Her mother Riyanti Sansumarti is a housewife.
Six-month-old Muhammad Hafiy Thasyiq Mohd Taufik has been diagnosed with an absent connection between two right-sided chambers (tricuspid atresia). He needs multiple stages of palliative operations, which cost RM20,000. His father Mohd Taufik Md Sarip is an ICT technician earning RM767 a month. His mother Norhaiza Suhaimi is a housewife.
19-month-old Muhammad Fiqh Ar Rayyan Mohd Fathmiza suffers from a hole in the heart, the complete absence of the tricuspid valve, and TGA (transposition of the great arteries). He needs a cardiac cath and Glenn shunt. The surgery cost is RM48,000. His father Mohd Fathmiza Yusof is a teacher earning RM1,900 a month. His mother Noor Ain Ismail is a housewife.
One-year-old Emily Wong Le Ting has been diagnosed with Tetralogy of Fallot or congenital heart defects that change the normal flow of blood through the heart. She needs surgery that costs RM48,000. Her father Wong Kwai Meng works in a textile factory, earning RM2,125 a month. Her mother Cheng Soon Giok is a housewife.
One-year-old Sean Max Siow Shi Jie has been diagnosed with Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD) and a hole in the heart. He needs surgery to close VSD, that costs RM40,000. His father Siow Kat Siong earns RM3,000 a month. His mother Chong Lee Ling is a housewife.
10-year-old Muhammad Hakimi Idris has been diagnosed with Tetrology of Fallot or congenital heart defects that change the normal flow of blood through the heart. He needs surgery that costs RM35,000. His father Idris Baharom is a bank officer, earning RM3,736 a month. His mother Rozzinah Yahya is a housewife.
Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts remains committed to operating in an economically, socially and environmentally responsible manner while balancing the interests of diverse stakeholders. In striving to be a leader in corporate citizenship and sustainable development, a corporate-level CSR Committee drives the company’s initiatives in the strategic areas of stakeholder relations, environment, health and safety, supply chain and employees. Under the umbrella of sustainability, Shangri-La’s social responsibility programme consists of the two elements of “embrace” and “sanctuary.” Embrace focuses on Shangri-La’s Caring People Project, which aims to promote the highest level of education and health support in underprivileged communities. In sanctuary, the programme concentrates on Shangri-La’s Care for Nature Project, which promotes the conservation and restoration of biodiversity.
For more information, please access the CSR section on HYPERLINK "http://www.shangri-la.com" www.shangri-la.com.
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