All Donations Now Tax Exempted!

Today we received the happy news that all donations towards our work from April 1, 2011 will be allowed as tax exempt expenses. What this means is that you may deduct your donations from your taxable income declared to arrive at a lower tax due to the Inland Revenue Board. This entitlement is available to those with Malaysian tax file.

We hope that this will encourage more donors to respond to our appeal, especially corporate donors. All donations, large and small, will be acknowledged with an official receipt bearing our tax exemption file number that you must retain and file for any tax audit later.

Malaysians are Charitable

According to THIS report Malaysian women are more likely to donate to charities than men in the coming 6 months but more than half of the respondents said they would make a donation. It said that this trend is evident in Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa. This is certainly good news to bodies such as ours that depend on public donations to sustain our work.

This morning the bakery taskforce had a meeting to discuss how the new centre will be set up. Although we will be into challenging times we believe that we will be getting both financial and supervisory supports when the time comes. We are placing our faith on the generous Malaysian people and its business communities.

An important date has been etched in the history of the Persatuan today when we received a group of 11 Rotarians from the Seremban Rotary Club and the District Governor, Dr Rajindar Singh and his wife Surendra (also a Rotarian) who were here on a gift bearing mission. They came to present us cheques for the purchase of a sealing machine and an electric oven which will be used in the straw packing and bakery projects respectively. The value of their donations is RM4100 and we wish to record our deepest appreciation for their charity towards our work.

We also wish to record our thanks to Dr CS Paul who is a member of the Seremban chapter of the Rotary Club and initiated this donation.

We believe that a new chapter has opened in the cooperation between ourselves and the Rotary Club Seremban. The Rotary District regularly receives funds from foundations to disburse to worthy causes. We hope that we can be counted as one of their beneficiaries in future when we need to equip our new centre.

Charting Our Future

Yesterday, the management committee with its advisors held the first of four meetings scheduled for this year. We were pleased with the smooth transition from PBS to PBSNS and the enlarged partnership support base. Although all financial supports are not yet in, we are not worried as it is still early in the year and by faith we believe our pleas will be heard, notwithstanding the current dampened economic climate.

We are like a learner driver being released from a country road into a highway, into uncharted waters. Ordinarily we should be apprehensive but we had none of that emotion. Rather we all felt elated at the vast opportunities and challenges before us. Yes, we have to work hard but we also realise the rewards and satisfaction are great. In a true sense, all of us are pioneering the future of PBSNS and we pray that God will helm every meeting, guide every decision, plan every step and provide every need. I suppose this has been our source of comfort, our faith in God that He will provide every need we ask. As what Pastor Paul Christie, our spiritual advisor shared in his sermon yesterday, we need to have the faith like Abraham to trust God that He will provide all the resources - financial, people, knowledge and leadership, to take PBSNS from one level to the next.

Partnership: Our appeals have begun to bear fruits. Individuals and churches have started donating to our work, so far more than RM10,000 have been received. We expect more in the pipeline.

Staffing: We have peaked in our enrolment. We are trying to create more rooms to take beyond 25 to even 30, but stretching the limit means our staff's ability to run the centre will be similarly stretched. Soon we will be seeking a committed, dedicated, passionate, patient, loving and caring new staff to join our fantastic team of 2 staff and 20 volunteers. The new staff must be a team player with excellent socialising and communication skills. We were also challenged to start looking for a Trainer to oversee every aspect of our training as well as to eventually offering training to new centres being set up.

Expansion: We need more room to grow and it is unhealthy to cram too many people and too much activities into the same space. I believe God will answer our prayer for the new space we need.

Sponsorship: This and the coming years will be ones we will introduce our work to new sponsors. We never believe that recession will cut social responsibility out of many good corporations and foundations. We believe charity work is recession proof, although some donors will give less as a natural reaction.

Membership: We are also seeking new members to join us, Christian adults in Seremban who share the same desire to help the learning disabled, to give time, talents and connections to grow our work.

We are grateful to Pastor Paul and our advisor Neil for suggesting ways to help raise new funds for PBSNS. We have to reach out (to new sponsors, new trainees, new members, new leaders) and reach up (for God's grace and mercy in His ministry).

Another Supporter for PBSNS

This morning the Chairman was at the Mawar Renal Centre to receive a donation from the N.Sembilan Tai Chi Qi Gong 18 Gaya Association which also gave out donations to 7 other beneficiaries. Although the donation was for RM500 it represents a recognition of our work by the Chinese social clubs in Seremban. Last month we had received another donation from the Chin Woo Association. On hand were reporters from the Chinese presses. Hopefully news of our work will continue to dissipate throughout the state and nationwide.

Chin Woo Donation Pix

Here's the group picture of the recipients of the donations and some members of the Association before we had our lunch.

It's Good to Be Noticed

Last week I was informed that the N. Sembilan Chin Woo Athletic Association wants to make a donation to us. I was pleasantly surprised. We have not made contact with them about our work so they must have heard of us privately. My understanding was we will be one of four beneficiaries of the surplus funds collected from their fund raising for another project recently. It is good to be noticed. Today David and I attended a luncheon at the Dragon Oakland Restaurant where I received a cheque for RM1200 from the Association. I took the opportunity to distribute text of our new brochure (yet to be printed) in Mandarin to the predominantly Chinese speaking guests to create awareness among the Chinese community here. Reporters from SinChew, Nanyang and ChinaPress attended so we can expect additional publicity when the news is published.

A Surprise Gift

Today we celebrated Christmas by giving the trainees a party in which 6 members of the d'Nous Academy students helped in leading the singing and playing games. Sister Siew Khim told the story of God's creation. Among the guests who came were 5 members from Kuala Lumpur Wesley Methodist Church, specifically on a mission at our invitation to present us a gift.

These guests are: Veronica Ting (Director, Social Outreach), Lim Pik Wah (Chairperson, Christian Social Concerns Committee), Goh Joo Gaik, Cindy Ong and Ong Jin Gay (Members, Christian Social Concerns Committee).

KL Wesley had heard of our work and were touched by what they discovered and decided to help us financially. So on one Sunday recently, they took an offering for their Needy Fund which is to be channelled to us. We were 'shocked' by the amount they gave. It came to RM16,794.70! A private donation of RM300 also came with the group.

We were very touched by this gesture of fine charity and kept the faith that there are many caring Methodists in this country. To KL Wesley in general and those who gave to this work in particular, we want to record our heartfelt 'Thank You' for being our partners. The trainees are the more blessed because of what you gave.