Lai flags-off the jogathon by raising the red flag.
MIRI: Some RM50,000 was collected through a charity ‘Care Run, Together’ jogathon at Lutong here yesterday.
The collection was given to the Association of Parents with Special Children (Pibakis) of Miri to finance its new centre.
Developer Green Summit Development Sdn Bhd, the main sponsor of the event, donated RM20,000 toward the building fund.
Its chief executive officer James Hii handed over the donation to Pibakis Miri president Chiam Yun Chaw.
Guest-of-honour Miri Mayor Lawrence Lai, in his address, gave his full support for such charity events.
“This charity jogathon, apart from promoting healthy lifestyle, also indirectly draws the people to participate in charity drives to help people who are in need,” he said.
The five kilometre event, jointly organised by Miri Mandarin Lions Club and Miri Seahorse Lions Club, attracted more than 300 participants, including Pibakis special children.
Meanwhile, the construction of the new centre is 70 per cent completed.
The association is still short of RM2.1 million to finance the cost of the new centre which is located near SMK Lutong.
Pibakis Miri expects it to be fully completed by July this year and they want to use it by year end.
The existing centre at Piasau Camp is now short of space due to the increasing number of special children registered with the centre.
The new centre is specifically designed to provide for the needs of the special children.
The ground floor houses the general office, wet/dry kitchen/dining room, multipurpose hall, snoozeleen room, SI room, physiotherapy room, craft room and seven classrooms.
On the first floor will be a conference room, medical room, counselling room, IT/lecture room, toy library, committee room, three classrooms and store room.
The main purpose of the centre is to train persons with learning disabilities (PLD) in basic job skills to enable them to enter employment either full or part time for a brighter future.