August 1 09, Saturday, MBPJ Auditorium, Civic Centre
Hopes & Joys Merdeka Charity Concert
Beautiful Gate Foundation for the Disabled (PJ Centre) co-organised a charity concert with the Council of Churches Malaysia, Rukun Tetangga SS2B, the offices of YB Edward Lee, YB Lau Weng San and my office.
SIMPLY captivating. This best summed up the dance performances by a group of wheelchair-bound persons with their able-bodied partners in a fund-raising concert in Penang.
It was also a night of fun for the 33 disabled persons on wheelchairs as they ‘danced’ and swayed to the rhythmic beats of the songs with their partners at the event held at the Jit Sin Independent High School in Bukit Mertajam.
The audience clapped along as the performers captivated them with creative dance movements that were specially choreographed for wheelchair-bound persons to perform with able-bodied partners.
Themed ‘Creativity Beyond Limitations’, the three-hour long concert was pre- sented by members of the Beautiful Gate Foundation For the Disabled (BGF).
The dancers performing from their wheelchairs. BGF executive director Sia Siew Chin said the show was aimed at creating awareness that disabled persons on wheelchairs were part of the nation’s rich multi-cultural society.
In the show’s first segment, BGF presented a cultural dance showcasing eight disabled boys and girls on wheelchairs together with their partners in matching traditional costumes.
Next was a segment called Joyfulness in Life where nine disabled persons and their accompanying volunteers performed a dance skit to the upbeat numbers Macarena and YMCA.
During this item, one of the disabled persons suddenly fell off the wheelchair and struggled to get back on it.
Rock and roll: BGF members show that onw can have fund and style even on a wheelchair. “This skit is to depict the difficulties that disabled persons have to face in life.
“But, with perseverance and determi-nation, they can succeed in the end,” Sia explained.
Subsequently, four disabled persons on wheelchairs and volunteers participated in separate ballroom dance items, namely the rock & roll, samba, rumba and cha-cha.
“This item is to showcase that disabled persons can also live together and enjoy life with other able-bodied persons,” Sia said.
Four children, aged between seven and 14 years, later took part in a disabled children’s wheelchair dance presentation, where they used sign language to relate heartfelt messages through two Mandarin songs.
And, after visually impaired singer Daniel Yap belted out three melodious Hokkien numbers, the BGF Performing Arts Troupe members regrouped for the finale where they invited the audience to join them in a freestyle dance.
Earlier, pastor Lee Lip Hock from the Bukit Mertajam Chinese Methodist Church (BMCMC) presented a cheque for RM153,039 that was raised from the concert’s ticket sales and sponsorship to Sia. BMCMC was the event co-organiser.
“We will use the money to buy teaching aid and as well as equipment and amenities for disabled youths at our BGF Kampar Centre in Ipoh, Perak,” said Sia.
Also present was State Youth, Sports, Women, Family and Community Deve-lopment Committee chairman Lydia Ong Kok Fooi.
For details on BGF, visit their website at http://www.beautifulgate.org.my/
IF EVERYONE took a small step to start reducing waste production from home, that huge sum of money could be used for better social and physical developments.
A simple way to do so is to make your own eco enzyme that acts as an effective cleaning agent, replacing soaps and detergents made of chemicals that pollute underground water, then rivers, and eventually the entire ecology.
This eco enzyme is simply made from water, brown sugar and unwanted fruit peels or vegetable dregs before being evenly mixed and fermented for three months. This “wonder” enzyme can then be used as a detergent, dish cleanser, natural antiseptic, air freshener and even for pet care and pest control.
Well, you can learn how to do just that from the Justlife Group at a public demonstration on Saturday, June 20th at The Star’s Studio V in the 1 Utama Shopping Centre. The company together with the Beautiful Gate Foundation will be conducting the demonstration from 11am to 1pm. This is part of The Star’s efforts under the “Go Green, Live Green 2009” Campaign.
The first 100 people to come for the demonstration will each take home a complimentary bottle of eco enzyme. Registration starts at 10.30am so be there and do your bit for the environment! Admission is but is limited to 100 pax on first-come-first-serve basis.
Sources: The Star
Eco-enzyme acts as an effective cleaning agent that can replace soaps and detergents that are harmful to the ecosystem.
If you have missed The Star’s Green Day Celebration two weeks ago, here’s another opportunity for you to learn how to make eco-enzyme at home.
Natural cleanser: Dr Joean Oon who specialises in naturalpedic demonstrating the use of ecoenzyme to clean vegetables. Beautiful Gate Foundation for the Disabled and Justlife organic products chain will show you the making process on June 20 from, 11am to 1pm at Studio V, 1 Utama Shopping Centre.
The organisations have also prepared 100 bottles of eco-enzyme to be given away on a first-come-first-served basis.
It is learned that eco-enzyme can be used as detergent, dish cleanser, natural antiseptic, air freshener and even for pet care and pest control.
It can significantly reduce waste produced from our kitchens, too.
Sources: The Star
Chief Administrator Datuk Kamaruddin Mohamad Baria said: “Disabled visitors can now park their cars at the back of the Parliament building, wheel down a low-gradient ramp, which is covered with anti-slippery mat, to get to the back entrance of the Parliament. Then they can take the lift up.”
Convenience: Norizan trying out the lift for the disabled at the parliament building yesterday. He said the proposal was to accommodate wheelchair-bound MPs like veteran DAP MP Karpal Singh and other visitors.
Wheelchair-bound Norizan Kasbi was pleasantly surprised when he saw the lift during a visit to Parliament yesterday.
The former Johor Umno Youth information chief was the first disabled person to use the lift.
“This is thoughtful of the Parliament administration,” said Norizan, 47, who became paralysed after a road accident in Sabah in 1999.
Sources: The Star
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