Girl with a big heart collects ring tabs for charity

0

(From right) Kim accompanies Sharon at the handover of the ring tabs to Yong.

MIRI: Sharon Huo Ming Chuo has been collecting ring tabs from beverage cans since she was five, but not merely as a hobby.

The 12-year-old, although shy, has a big heart – she collects the tabs to help the poor and the less-fortunate. Sharon’s mother Kim Lau, 65, has always encouraged her girl to engage in the charity work since young.  To date, the girl has collected almost 40kg worth of ring tabs.

“I always encourage her to be active in charity work. She collects the tabs, which can be used to make prosthetic legs or arms – a thing that not many people know of. She would look for them everywhere – on the streets or wherever she goes to,” Kim told The Borneo Post here on Sunday. According to her, Sharon has donated her tabs for a good cause five times.

“This includes those that we’re giving away today,” Kim said, adding that several non-governmental organisations (NGOS) wanted to play their part in collecting the tabs for Sharon upon learning about her good deed.

“Our family members and friends also help Sharon in this endeavour. Some of the ring tabs were collected during our trips to Taiwan and Thailand – I would always take her with me whenever I travel, either for leisure or to attend conventions under the Lions Club,” said Kim.

On Sunday, Sharon handed over her fifth lot of ring tabs worth 4kg to the Lions Club of Batu Niah, which had established the ‘Aluminium Ring Tabs Charity Project’ (ARTCP). Present to receive them was ARTCP organising chairman Alan Yong.

“She collected 10kg (of ring tabs) for her first lot, and 8kg for the second one. The third donation was the heaviest – 12kg – which she also gave to the ARTCP. This was many years ago. The fourth lot was 3.4kg,” Kim said, adding that for the latest lot, Sharon took more than a year to reach 4kg.

“It is not easy to collect that much tabs, but thanks to her friends and family members, she was able to reach 4kg and give the tabs to ARTCP today.”

Sharon is a Primary 6 pupil at SJKC Chung San.

Meanwhile, Yong said he was really touched by the girl’s persistence and commitment in doing charity work at a young age.

“She is very committed in helping the ARTCP to provide aid not only for the less-fortunate people here, but also those internationally. This is a long-term project and we are honoured and thankful to have young Sharon helping us by collecting the ring tabs for our charity project,” he said.