Volunteering at ‘A Day With Philips Monitors’

Charity causes are not unfamiliar to me as I try to support any that I cross path with. However, all this while, I have to admit that I have never dedicated my personal time. That’s because I run on a very tight schedule and would rather not commit time.

Nevertheless, when I came across the request for volunteers on the Facebook page of Philips Monitors Malaysia, for a programme named ‘A Day With Philips Monitors’, somehow, I felt compelled to do my part.

Nevermind that I have to travel to Kuala Lumpur and spend one whole day with children. I have never been good at handling kids; they being total strangers won’t help matters at all. I told myself that it wasn’t going to be easy but I was willing to take up the challenge.

And so, 7th Dec saw me making my way to the capital city early in the morning. Meanwhile, the 33 children of Good Samaritan Home were being prepared for their day of innovative learning at their residence in Klang. No, I didn’t go to Klang as that’s another 50 minutes from KL Sentral by KTM Komuter.

I decided it made more sense to just meet them at their first stop in the capital city, which was ESCAPE Room, at Berjaya Times Square. Although I wanted to participate in ESCAPE Room with them, I thought better of it. Having an adult around to solve those puzzles in the room would not help the children build on their problem-solving skills, which was the entire purpose of the day’s outing.

Anyway, as I have mentioned, I am not savvy when it comes to children, especially when some of them are as young as three years old. I could sense the awkwardness in them, even during lunch at McDonald’s. Luckily for me, the children of Good Samaritan Home are well-mannered and they all speak English, so there was no communication barrier at all. We just needed a little more time to get to know one another.

Once lunch was done and dusted, we made our way by chartered bus to Suria KLCC for more learning at Petrosains, also known as The Discovery Centre.

At Petrosains, there were many opportunities to get hands on in activities for children and adults alike, so it was easier for me to get close to the kids. I pretended not to understand how some of the things worked and the older children attempted to explain to me. It was part and parcel of learning outside the classroom for them, and I was only playing my role. Haha!

We spent a good couple of hours at Petrosains. It was so much fun even for me as an adult. When it was time to leave, I wished we could have a few more hours to explore! Well, that would have to be on another day as it was time for the children to return to their home, where more marvellous surprises awaited.

Before calling it a day, Philips Monitors crew handed each child a gift, which was donated by well-wishers in this season of giving.

Sharing about the idea behind ‘A Day With Philips Monitors’, Ms. Rica Tan, Philips Monitors Malaysia Marketing Manager, said, “We wanted to give these children an opportunity to have fun while opening their minds to innovative learning, as well as build on their problem-solving skills. We really hope this experience will inspire them to reach for the stars!”

To me, ‘A Day With Philips Monitors’, which was made possible by Philips Monitors and generous members of the public, was successful in helping these children develop their brain skills, problem-solving techniques and the art of decision making.

Additionally, through the fund-raising campaign that ran for three weeks, a total of RM11,910 was collected for Good Samaritan Home, to help alleviate their financial burden.

Event: A Day With Philips Monitors
Venue: Kuala Lumpur
Date: 7th Dec, 2017
Time: from 8am

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