TAR UC Students Raise Funds for Noble Cause

13 January 2017, KUALA LUMPUR – Apart from educating students to be knowledgeable and technically competent, Tunku Abdul Rahman University College (‘TAR UC’) also emphasises on the inculcation of good values among its students to ensure that they will become responsible and socially conscious citizens. In line with this aim, approximately 2,500 TAR UC students taking the Civic Consciousness and Volunteerism course took the effort to raise funds for noble cause and it culminated in a cheque presentation ceremony held today at TAR UC.

The fund-raising effort is part of the Civic Consciousness and Volunteerism course conducted by the Centre for Nation Building and Languages (‘CNBL’) in TAR UC where the objective of the course is to inculcate civic values among the students, with the hope to produce a generation of young Malaysians who are able to proactively show care and compassion through their pragmatic actions to make a difference to various segments of society. All the students who are currently pursuing their diploma at TAR UC were involved in the fund-raising project which was held from October to December 2016. The students successfully raised a total of RM138,445.20 of which RM119,000.00 was disbursed to 20 organisations in today’s cheque presentation ceremony.  

The 20 charity organisations who are the beneficiaries are, as follows:

1. Persatuan Kebajikan Kanak-Kanak Istimewa Seberang Perai Selatan
2. Pertubuhan Membantu Pesakit Parah Miskin Malaysia
3. Shelter Home
4. Pusat Jagaan Insan Istimewa, Semenyih
5. Pusat Penjagaan Warga Usia Emas Tong Sim, Seremban
6. Suriana Welfare Society Malaysia
7. Pusat Jagaan Sivananda
8. Pertubuhan Kebajikan Ihsan Negeri Sembilan
9. Ampang Old Folks Home

• Candy Pencil Project
• Desa Amal Jireh
• Pertubuhan Kebajikan Mental Selangor
• Sincere Care Home, Kajang
• Rumah Hope  
• Rumah Kebajikan Anbu Illam
• Rumah Charis
• Yayasan Sunbeams
• Pusat Jagaan Titian OKU Nur, Rawang
• Nicholas' Home, Penang
• Student Welfare Fund, TAR UC

A portion of the funds raised amounting to about RM8,000 was used to purchase school bags, school books, tracksuit bottoms and stationery for school-going children from Perkampungan Orang Asli Gombak and Sweet Care Welfare Society. The items were delivered to them in December 2016. The remaining balance of the funds will be used for charity projects in March this year. 

YBhg Datuk Dr Tan Chik Heok, President of TAR UC presented the cheques to the beneficiaries. In his speech, YBhg Datuk Dr Tan Chik Heok commended the students for their hard work and dedication in raising the funds for the needy. “The funds raised by the students at TAR UC will not just be a donation given out to various needy segments of society but it also means making a difference in the lives of others, thus bringing to life the core principle of human justice.” 

“Besides the cultivation of civic responsibilities, our students have also learnt many valuable lessons about friendship, teamwork, leadership, altruism, discipline, perseverance, time management, communication skills, handling conflicts and the list goes on. These are high-impact lessons that cannot be obtained from mere books or classroom learning.” 

“The seeds of compassion and responsibility towards others have been implanted in your souls and it is my hope that these seeds will continue to grow”, he commented.

This is the 4^th fund-raising initiative which has been carried out by TAR UC students and to-date, more than RM520,000 has been disbursed to various organisations to assist the needy and marginalised communities in Malaysia as well as those affected by major catastrophes abroad such as the victims of the Haiyan typhoon and Nepal earthquake. Such effort is part of TAR UC’s holistic education over 48 years where equal importance is given to students’ wholesome development to ensure they are instilled with a strong sense of humanity while pursuing academic excellence. This has led TAR UC to be awarded the Excellence in Education Improvement Award under the category of Socially Responsible Company in Education Improvement at the prestigious Asia Pacific CSR Awards 2016, a programme that is in support of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and United Nations Global Compact Framework and endorsed by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC).

At the same ceremony, Faculty of Social Science, Arts and Humanities Student Representative Council also presented a cheque to TARC Education Foundation, in support of the on-going fund-raising initiative for the construction of the Student Centre in TAR UC. YBhg Datuk Dr Tan Chik Heok received the cheque on behalf of the TARC Education Foundation. The planned Student Centre aims to create an inspiring learning space that draws students together for sharing, learning and socialising that will nurture the desired soft skills, leadership and also serve as the training ground to spur creativity and innovation.