The Melium Group with the 12 beneficiary organisations and their mock cheques during the auction event in Kuala Lumpur. — Photos: CHAN TAK KONG/The Star
A CHARITY auction initiated by The Melium Group, a luxury fashion retail and lifestyle specialist, has generated RM5.7mil.
At an event held at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur, an initial RM5.136mil was raised by auctioning off 92 items and travel experiences.
All items were donated by The Melium Group, private organisations and individuals.
Items on the block included business-class return tickets to London via Qatar Airways, a wildlife expedition curated by World Wide Fund for Nature Malaysia (WWF-Malaysia), artwork, jewellery and watches.
Through subsequent donations, a total of RM5.7mil was raised.
(From left) BRCR secretary Frank Lim Hook Hing, Farah and Melium charity auction committee member Yasmin Khan.
The auction was held in celebration of Melium’s 35th anniversary, following on from the luxury fashion retailer’s charity auctions on its 20th, 25th and 30th anniversaries.
At the event, a cheque presentation ceremony was held involving 12 beneficiary organisations.
BRDB Rotary Children’s Residence (BRCR) received RM1.6mil while RM225,000 each went to Hospis Malaysia, Orphancare Foundation, Society for the Severely Mentally Handicapped, and Chow Kit Foundation (YCK).
The other seven organisations were Institut Tengku Ampuan Afzan (RM500,000), Badan Amal Kasih Sayang Malaysia (RM300,000), Persatuan Daybreak (RM600,000), Mercy Malaysia (RM250,000), Women’s Aid Organisation (RM250,000), Tasputra Perkim (RM300,000) and WWF-Malaysia (RM1mil).
“These organisations were selected through due diligence of knowing the people and witnessing the work they do,” said The Melium Group president and founder Datuk Seri Dr Farah Khan.
“Each organisation had specific needs when it approached us and we tried to see what those needs were, such as those seeking to build funds or equipment such as computers.
“Hence, some of the RM5.7mil will be used to build funds and some of it will be utilised to cover many day-to-day needs,” she said.
Farah said some organisations had been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and were in dire need of funds.
She said the group had also decided to support others which had not lobbied for aid.
“It’s so important to create sustainability and I hope these organisations can achieve that over time,” she added.
