GOING HOME: A group photo at KL Sentral before getting on the KLIA Transit to get to the airport.
KUCHING: It will take at least another eight trips overseas to give all the underprivileged children of Lembaga Kebajikan Anak-Anak Yatim Sarawak (Peryatim) a chance to travel, but CATS FM executive director Datin Hanifah Taib-Alsree is up to the challenge.
Speaking to Sarawak media members in Kuala Lumpur on the final day of the CATS FM ‘For The Love of Our Children’ (FTLoC) 2012 programme, Hanifah said that she will be holding a post-mortem with the team from the radio station after everyone returned to Kuching.
“Although this trip was good, there is always room for improvement,” she said, adding that the planning for the second edition of FTLoC was spread out through the year since February and had to be put on hold so the radio station could focus on Anugerah Juara Rentak Ruai (AJARR) 2012.
CHEESE!: CATS FM crew together with the Yakin boys in a fun photo moment while waiting to enter Petrosains at KLCC. The Yakin Students were selected for the trip based on their academic excellence.
CAN YOU SOLVE THIS: Peryatim secretary Misnu Taha (left) gets roped into playing a challenging game that stumped most of the contestants.
FOR YOU: Hanifah (centre) handing out a goodie bag and words of encouragement to a Peryatim girl.
THIS IS FASCINATING: FTLoC members captured by all the petroleum exploration exhibitS inside Petrosains.
Organised in collaboration with Sunway Group as part of CATS FM’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects, Hanifah described the trip last weekend as a ‘perfect collaboration’.
Sunway Group Corporate Communications general manager Sharzede S Askor said that when she received the call from Kuching, she was determined to see it through.
“We don’t receive a lot of requests from East Malaysia,” she said.
Sharzede, who is Sarawakian herself, said in her speech that CSR is a matter close to the heart of Sunway chairman Tan Sri Dato Seri Dr Jeffrey Cheah.
As part of their corporate responsibility, Sunway invests heavily in education, health care and in the community, she added.
“We believe in ‘the more you give, the more you get’.”
CATS FM general manager Iskandar Nawawi hoped to make FTLoC an annual event.
“We sometimes take for granted those who are in need,” he said, before telling the children, who are between 10 to 17 years of age, to dream big and let that take them to excellence.
Present at the welcome dinner was deputy state secretary and Peryatim board of directors secretary Misnu Taha. Also present were representatives from Sunway Group, Sunway Resort Hotel & Spa and Sunway Lagoon.
During the dinner at Sunway Resort Hotel & Spa, the 20 children from Peryatim and 10 from Yayasan Kemajuan Insan Sarawak (Yakin) were treated to entertainment and games. Hanifah also handed out goodie bags to the kids and tokens of appreciation to her team.
This year’s FTLoC saw the private radio station bringing the children for a fun-filled day at Sunway Lagoon. The children were given unlimited access to three of Sunway Lagoon’s five Parks – Water Park, Amusement Park and Wildlife Park.
In addition, they had a chance to stop by Sunway Pyramid to try out ice skating, before heading over to the Pyramid Megalane to knock over some bowling pins.
On the last day of their KL trip, they visited Petrosains — The Discovery Centre, where they spent a couple of hours pushing buttons, pulling levers and exploring the many exhibits available while learning about how science impacts their daily lives.
This was followed by a trip to Aquaria KLCC, where the children were equally mesmerised by the exhibits of underwater life.
A short ride in the bus took the group to 421-metre KL Tower, where the group feasted their eyes on a panoramic view of the city, before descending to the souvenir stalls to purchase gifts.
In 2010, CATS FM took 30 underprivileged children to Genting Highlands.