Kiwanis Club of Meru Valley held a fair for the less unfortunate kids at Tower Regency Hotel, Ipoh recently. President of Kiwanis Club of Meru Valley, Kimberly Tan, believed that there was no better way to celebrate the club’s 100th anniversary than to have it with the underprivileged children.
“The sole purpose is to make the kids happy. It is a pleasure to serve wholeheartedly and I’ve my hard-working committee to thank. Not only did they create the game stations but went around town, hand-picking gifts and prizes to be given away,” said Kimberly in her speech.
A hundred kids from a number of welfare homes around Ipoh were invited and the club prepared a 100-minute game carnival for the children. Apart from the sporting activities, it granted the wishes of some of the more deprived kids by presenting them with gifts they wanted to have.
President of Kiwanis International, Dr John Button and members of Kiwanis Club of Meru Valley were present to lend support. Kiwanis was founded in Detroit, Michigan on January 21, 1915. Soon more clubs were formed around the world. Kiwanis is now a well-known, global organisation dedicated to serving and helping under-privileged children.
With over 40,000 members around the world, Kiwanis now works with UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) to eliminate Maternal Neonatal Tetanus (MNT) that is killing one baby every nine minutes.
“When contracting MNT, new-borns will suffer convulsions and are extremely sensitive to light and touch. As such, after delivery, the mother can’t hold her baby. She can only watch her baby die a slow and painful death. We are trying our very best to eliminate MNT and aim to immunize both mothers and kids,” said Dr Button to the media.
One of the many arms of Kiwanis is the Kiwanis Down Syndrome Foundation which is committed to making sure that the wellness of children afflicted with that condition is ensured. Physiotherapy, occupational and speech therapy as well as special educational help are given to the kids and the parents.
Readers wanting to donate or join Kiwanis or plan to form a club in their community can visit Kiwanis Malaysia’s website for details.
Ili Aqilah
