- 100 children from special homes treated to a “Surprise in a Bag” and Christmas gifts.
It was a Christmas celebration with a “surprise” for 100 children from five homes in the Klang Valley when they each received a “surprise in a bag” at the Maybank Christmas celebration held in Kuala Lumpur.
The event was filled with cheers and laughter as the children from Rumah Kids, Rumah Destiny, Pusat Jagaan Rumah Juara, Ray of Hope Children’s Home and City Revival Boys and Girl’s Home were overjoyed to received different surprise gifts such as a bicycle, toys, stationaries, school bags and clothing specially prepared by Maybank. The children had been earlier asked by Maybank to provide their wish list for Christmas gifts for the bank to fulfil.
The event saw Chairman of Maybank, Tan Sri Megat Zaharuddin Megat Mohd Nor, Group President & CEO of Maybank, Datuk Abdul Farid Alias, and EXCO members spending time to celebrate the occasion with the children as well as staff of the Group.
The foyer of Menara Maybank was decked with colourful Christmas ornaments and a beautifully lit up eight-foot Christmas tree also stood tall, capturing the attention of those who passed by. The mesmerising sounds of Bagpipes performed by a local music band called ‘Voice of Percussion’ also lingered harmoniously in the Bank’s foyer, heralding the spirit of the season.
Favourite Christmas Carols were performed by the Maybank Christian Fellowship Association for the guests. Santa Claus then made a special appearance spreading joy and laughter among the children and staff while the Maybank management were engaged in a Candy Apples Making class and other decorating activities with the children.
Maybank Group Chief Human Capital Officer, Nora Manaf said “The spirit of Christmas is one of love, generosity and goodness. It a special season of giving and sharing, and reminds us to take time from our busy schedules and focus on the people around us instead of just material things. This is what we want our guests as well as staff to experience from our Christmas celebration, so that together, we can value the thoughts, memories, hopes, and customs linked with it and shared by people of all ages.”
“The celebration is also our way of demonstrating our mission of humanising financial services. Each year, Maybank celebrates Malaysia’s major festivities by organising activities that provide opportunities for our employees to appreciate the rich heritage of respective communities where the bank operates in. We will continue to celebrate diversity through our different staff engagement initiatives including such festive celebrations,” she added.
The “Surprise in a Bag” campaign saw Maybankers taking the opportunity to create personalised gifts for the special guests accompanied with individual greeting cards filled with words of motivation and inspiration for each child.
Chairman of Maybank, Tan Sri Megat Zaharuddin presented the “Surprise bags” and Christmas money packets to the children.
“The uniqueness of the “Surprise in a Bag” campaign is that it’s an initiative that will be carried out throughout the regions where we operate in from 7-11 December 2015. “Our aim is to create a simultaneous and impactful Group Christmas celebration that promotes goodwill among the community and our staff wherever they may be. This initiative is very much in line with our aspiration of being at the heart of the community,” said Nora.
One of the attendees, Shugan Raj A/L Nagaratham, 12, from Rumah Kids said, “I’m happy that Maybank organised this Christmas celebration and shared the special moments with us. I am very lucky to be able to come to Menara Maybank for this event and I hope that next year I will be invited again. I’m also happy that I received a “Surprise in a Bag” filled with things that I dreamt of as well as some cash. I was also given the opportunity to decorate colourful candy apples covered with chocolate and candy and it tasted great too. Thank you Maybank!”
Meanwhile, Lara Lochana Velayuthan Pilai, 12, from Rumah Ray of Hope said, “It was a perfect day for me as I had the chance to share joyful Christmas moments which ‘came early’ to Menara Maybank. I thoroughly enjoyed coming back to Maybank and had a great time. It was nice of the Maybankers to greet us and treat us with kindness and make it a lasting memory of Christmas.”