Vimala (below) and volunteers bringing joy to children of Pusat Jagaan Anneiyin Karunai Illam in Rawang. — IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/The Star
A GROUP of volunteers brought festive cheer to underprivileged children of Pusat Jagaan Anneiyin Karunai Illam at Bandar Country Homes in Rawang, Selangor.
The home’s 20 children were delighted to receive plenty of gifts.
Vimala Kanagaratnam, 52, spearheaded the initiative with other volunteers from Moms Village Asia Sdn Bhd, where she freelances.
In addition to groceries, school bags and stationery, the children also received the items they had requested in their wishlists.
Some of the items requested were smart watches, Mandala colouring books, fiction novels and sling bags.
The gifts were distributed to the children by Vimala, her daughter Dhivyya Shri as well as other volunteers and contributors.
Vimala said all the items were purchased by her friends and social media followers.
“Prior to the programme, I posted the children’s wishlists on my Facebook account.
“Some of my friends and followers contacted me, expressing their willingness to sponsor the items.
Although she does not celebrate Deepavali and Christmas, Vimala views these festive seasons as opportunities to give back to society.
“Despite suggestions to have open house events during the festive seasons, these do not bring me much joy.
“My two children and I prefer to spend our days volunteering and engaging in charity work, contributing to those in need,” she said.
“Through the initiative, I aim to create cherished moments and leave a lasting impact on the children.”
The home’s caretakers, Perumal Gurunathan, 41, and his wife, Hemalatha Nagayah, 34, said they were grateful for the gifts and essentials contributed by the volunteers.
“With the widespread use of social media, children often see what others receive as gifts and how Christmas is celebrated, and they tend to ask the caretakers for such items,” said Hemalatha.
“The year-end period is a challenging time for us, as Deepavali is followed closely by Christmas.
“We also have to allocate resources to purchase back-to-school supplies for the children within this short span,” she said.
This year, she said the Christmas tree in the home featured an abundance of gifts, a notable contrast from the previous year.
The children were all smiles as they unboxed gifts in colourful wrappers and received items that they had long yearned for.
Vimala and her group of volunteers also hosted a festive party at the home, which included a lucky draw with additional gifts for the children and their caretakers, before everyone gathered around for a cake-cutting session.
