KLUANG: More than 120 children – along with employees from Aeon BiG Sdn Bhd, Aeon Co (M) Bhd and Aeon Credit Service (M) Bhd – kick-started Deepavali celebrations early with AEON MESRA's festive cheer programme at AEON BiG here, last Saturday.
The programme, which began more than a decade ago, is part of the AEON foundation’s community efforts in sharing and bringing joy to children in need across Malaysia during all major festivals.
Malaysian AEON Foundation president Datin Yasmin Merican said the reason why the group keeps organising the festive cheer programmes year in and year out is to see happy smiles on the children’s faces.
"Most of the children are orphans or from single parent homes. Once a year, they should just be happy and be given the opportunity to shop for the things they want for themselves.
“And what better place than to invite them to the AEON malls”, she said.
Each child from a home in the vicinity of an AEON mall was given RM200 to buy anything they wanted, be it clothes or presents for themselves or their families. They also received an additional RM50 ‘duit raya’ or angpow.
This year’s Deepavali event, which began with shopping at AEON BiG Kluang, culminated at the Four Seasons Ruili Hotel, where the children were treated to lunch and entertained by AEON employees and volunteers from the group.
The children also performed and participated in a kolam design contest.
At the same time, another 350 children enjoyed the programme at another nine AEON Big and AEON Co malls throughout the country.
Stores hosting the festive events were AEON BiG in Kepong, Bukit Rimau, Bukit Minyak, Klang and the AEON malls at Metro Prima, Rawang, Kulai, Nilai and Klebang.
Also present to celebrate with the children were Malaysian AEON Foundation committee members and senior members from AEON, such as AEON Credit Malaysia Bhd managing director Yuro Kisaka and AEON BiG Malaysia Sdn Bhd deputy managing director Hiroshi Watabe.
Founders of the Kluang children homes, comprising Cross Community director Jit Pang Lim and Damo Children Home founder S. Dhamodran, also took part in the event.