KUCHING: Rotaract Club of Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus has been presented with two prestigious awards for its valuable contribution to the community over the past two years.
Nilush (left) and the varsity’s Rotaract Club past president Umar Saibukandu (second right) presenting the awards to pro vice-chancellor Prof Anthony Cahalan, as Mohd Fadzlli (right) looks on.
Rotary International awarded the club with the distinguished ‘Presidential Citation’, which is presented to Rotaract clubs that have answered the call for actively working to change lives.
The second was a Commendation Award for the ‘Best Rotaract Project 2013 in Rotary District 3310’, for its contribution to special needs children at the Sarawak Society for Parents of Children with Special Needs (Pibakat).
“It’s a great honour and an accomplishment to be awarded the Presidential Citation, and I feel that my effort as president was fulfilled with this achievement. This is a huge compliment to all the hard work our members put in throughout the year,” said 2014 outgoing president Nilush Abeygoonaratne.
The club organized six projects in the 2013/2014 period, among them the “Go Bald” awareness and fundraising campaign, and a movie marathon which raised more than RM8,000 for the Sarawak Children’s Cancer Society.
Nilush, an engineering student from Sri Lanka, attributed the award to “good support by the committee
members, members, and a supportive club adviser Mohd Fadzlli Mohd Amin”.
Meanwhile, 2013 past president Umar Saibukandu said his committee initiated the Pibakat project and put together a series of fundraisers.
“We built a fence for the play area, a foot reflexology path, and painted a mural at the premises in the three-month project,” said the telecommunications and network engineering student, adding that books and stationary were also donated to the children.
Club adviser Mohamed Fadzlli Mohd Amin said he was proud of the achievements and the involvement of its members in all projects.
“The club provides the opportunity for the members to develop themselves as future leaders as well as realizing their function as responsible citizens. It’s the little deeds we do that matters and these are what lead to big accomplishment,” said the Faculty of Business and Design lecturer.