Bandar Utama, 25 August 2017

It was an evening well spent at the Malaysian AEON Foundation’s (MAF) 13th Charity Gala Dinner as 1,500 AEON Group Malaysia business partners came together to raise RM1.8 million for the underprivileged.

Held at the One World Hotel in Petaling Jaya, the theme of this year’s dinner was “Sky Full of Stars”. The metaphor illustrates MAF’s mission to create a space filled with bright hopes for local communities that are in need—with a focus on children in dire need of education, a comfortable living environment, and medical assistance.

The annual fundraising event was graced by the presence of Guest of Honour, Duli Yang Maha Mulia Tengku Permaisuri Selangor Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin. She was joined by the Malaysian AEON Foundation President, YBhg Dato’ Abdullah Mohd Yusof, and other MAF representatives.

“It’s our 13th year of fundraising and what a heartwarming journey it has been. With the support of our business partners, we’ve donated more than RM9 million to good causes and it doesn’t stop there. Every year is a new opportunity for us to do more, to help, and to ultimately build better futures for Malaysians in need,” said YBhg Dato’ Abdullah Mohd Yusof.

Some of the biggest donors of the night were AEON CO. (M) BHD., AEON Credit Service (M) Bhd, and Visa International—each contributing RM50,000. Sweetening the deal, the dinner also saw MAF presenting four cheques worth RM20,000 each to representatives from selected children homes: Pusat Jagaan Cahaya Kasih Bestari, Rumah Kebajikan Anak – Anak Yatim, Pusat Jagaan Kanak-Kanak Down Syndrome dan Persatuan Kebajikan Kanak-Kanak Terencat Akal.

In a bid to increase awareness of its charity projects, MAF also engaged its guests in a series of pre-dinner activities, one of which was the Sky Full of Star’s Charity Wall. The custom-made wall featured a collection of acrylic stars that guests can purchase at RM100 each and light up. Funds collected from this initiative went directly towards MAF’s “Light Up Lives” Orang Asli Project. Additionally, unique watercolour paintings by local artist, Atie Jaafar, were also put on sale, with each sale going to the MAF fund.

Tasked with injecting some fun into the event was TV presenter and actor Nazrudin Rahman, who was the emcee of the evening. Guests were also treated to laugh-out-loud moments courtesy of Kumar, a popular Singaporean comedian; and a special performance by Alfred Ho, a visually impaired singer known for belting out evergreen hits. What’s more, over 100 lucky draw prizes were handed out throughout the evening.