PETALING JAYA, June 19 — Father’s Day can be a lonely affair for some elderly folks.
Thanks to Country Garden Malaysia, 65 senior citizens from Sherun Old Folk Home & Handicap Centre spent the day in good company, as volunteers banded together for a gotong-royong at the home and spent quality time with its residents.
The volunteers consisted of Country Garden Malaysia staff, residents from Country Garden Danga Bay and Country Garden Central Park, and members of the public.
Visiting the home on Father’s Day this year is one of many corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives the company has hosted so far, with a philosophy of “creating a better society with our existence”.
The group’s brand and culture manager Emma Han valued the enthusiasm of residents living in Country Garden Malaysia projects to give back to society and actively participate in the company’s CSR projects.
“There is a saying we at Country Garden Malaysia are familiar with that encourages us to treat elders with the utmost respect and care for them like our own.
“Thus, today’s initiative is rather timely that it coincides with Father’s Day because it makes it more meaningful.
“We are very fortunate to have active and full-spirited members of the Country Garden Danga Bay resident association who are always looking for ways to contribute,” she said in a press release.
Country Garden Malaysia previously harnessed the power of social media to put out a state-wide call for donations of pre-loved items and basic necessities such as groceries, toiletries and medications.
About 200 items were collected at the sales gallery of Country Garden Danga Bay and Country Garden Central Park in Johor within two weeks before being distributed to the residents of Sherun Old Folk Home & Handicap Centre.
Volunteers lent a hand in housekeeping during the visit by cleaning the fans, floors, and windows, organising closets, and washing and folding the laundry.
The senior citizens were then treated to a lively drum performance to top off the day’s activities.
Sherun Old Folk Home & Handicap Centre’s vice-president Vinot Mariappan was touched by the display of hard work and selflessness shown by the Country Garden Malaysia volunteers.
He shared some of the future plans the home had in store to improve the quality of life for their residents, including procuring a bigger property to accommodate more residents.
“With three branches in Skudai, Kempas Lama and Batu Pahat, our long-term goal is to purchase a sizeable piece of land where all branches can come together and increase the number of residents to 500 people under one roof.
“Thus, we encourage those who are interested to help us out to contact us beforehand to understand the items or type of help that we need,” he said in a press release.
