The HFH fundraising concert dinner on 7 March 2009 was a success, netting almost RM88,000 for us to continue our campaign against poverty housing in and around Kuching! Thanks to one and all who participated and donated generously. As the Organising Chairman, I was privileged to give a speech, after our Kuching President, Albert Law’s welcoming address. In my speech, I pointed out that all 350 seats were fully sold, despite our earlier concerns that we might have bitten off more than we could chew. As I said to the assembled diners, they have indeed proven that kindness is recession proof!
350 happy diners
We then launched into the entertainment for the evening, starting with SingleTrackMind’s first set. This was followed by the first part of the charity auction during which various desirable items such as Alex Wong’s guitar, a Jeroboam bottle of premium champagne, a dinner at the Junk Restaurant and two wooden decor/ furniture items from Asiana Gallery were sold. Full credit as well to G2000, 4 Points at Sheraton, Harbour View Hotel, Merdeka Palace Suites, Orchidwoods and the ArtSchool for sponsoring items for us to sell. In between the rockin’ sets, the crowd enjoyed a performance from the young girls of LayNa Ballet Academy.
Thanks once again to Global Upline Sdn Bhd (kudos especially to Datuk Danel Abong, Datu Yusof Hanifah and Mr Bobby Ting for rising to your Corporate Social Responsibility) who paid for the dinner; Terrace Jade at the Sarawak Club Golf Resort for staging an impeccable service; George and Roselyn Ling for crafting the menu and decor; Wine ‘n’ Liquor and Guinness Anchor Marketing for sponsoring the wine and beers; Les Paul Music Studio for the sound system and last but not least ThePlaygroundSydney for the gorgeous backdrop and dinner programme, without whom the dinner would not have been possible. Lest I forget, a big shout-out to Design Network Architects and Artemas Architects for their design assist, and of course Ron Lim, Georgette Tan and Edwin Lay, who toiled tirelessly and for no reward (they did not even have time to eat the scrumptious dinner that night!). Take a bow, people…
From my closing speech:
Months ago, this dinner was just a hope. But as a black man who dreamed of being US President once wrote, sometimes if your hope is audacious enough, you just might succeed.
Tonight we have raised a handsome amount for Habitat to continue with its mission. Tomorrow we must hope for more. A better world in which the breadwinners of the family can come home to a safe and restful environment. A better world in which their children can play and study, with adequate hygiene and light, and space. This is my hope. To break the cycle of poverty, we must help these children emerge from their cocoons, like butterflies.
Drive safely, and good night.