KUALA LUMPUR: IN the spirit of Deepavali, Petronas reached out to underprivileged students of Montfort Boys Town Institution as part of its “Sentuhan Kasih Petronas” corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme which aimed to spread cheer to the less fortunate during festive seasons.
Some 380 boys and girls participated in activities held during the one day event such as an art therapy workshop where they learned to express their emotions through arts and creativity.
Participants also had the opportunity to attend a talk by Petronas Moto3 rider Ramdan Rosli who shared his experiences with the students.
There was also a briefing on road safety awareness conducted by the Club Prix Team.
Petronas senior general manager of group strategic communications Liz Kamaruddin said: “Through this programme, we hope to motivate children to become successful individuals in the future.
“They should dare to dream big and think big.
“We want them to know that there are more things in life than just school, so it’s not healthy to box yourself in just one area.
“At the same time, this is also a way for us to celebrate Deepavali with the students before they leave for their hometown.”
A student, Vijian Daniel, 20, expressed his gratitude towards Petronas for selecting the institution to carry out its CSR programme.
“I enjoyed myself today with all the activities. Not only did we get a chance to see Ramdan but we have learnt so many things from the activities that we participated in.
“From the art therapy workshop, I’ve learned that teamwork is crucial to achieve something together.
“Listening to Ramdan talk about his experiences really inspired me to become a better individual.
“He taught us that to achieve something, we must stay determined and never give up,” Vijian said.
Another student, Veronica Mathivanan, 18, said she found the briefing on road safety useful and she hoped that there would be more such programmes carried out in future.
“The activities were also a platform for the students to engage with one another outside of the classroom,” said Veronica.
Petronas also presented a contribution of RM50,000 to the school to purchase IT equipment for its computer maintenance training syllabus which teaches students how to repair and maintain their electronic gadgets.