Published by The Star
BY Noel Foo

WITH RM1.75mil in donations received from generous benefactors on Tuesday, the Spastic Children’s Association of Selangor and Federal Territory (SCAS&FT) is one step closer to raising the funds needed for its new building.

The association’s royal patron, Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, paid a visit to the Spastic Centre in Petaling Jaya and was among the contributors, pledging a personal donation of RM400,000.

The Sultan was accompanied by his consort Tengku Permaisuri Selangor Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin Abdul Rahman and the Raja Muda of Selangor Tengku Amir Shah.

Also present were the association’s honorary president, Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali and SCAS&FT president Datuk Seri Lam Peng Chong, who both made contributions themselves.

A group photo of SCAS&FT committee members and donors with (from seventh left) Tengku Amir Shah, Sultan Sharafuddin, Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin and Lam.

The children of the Spastic Centre welcomed their royal guests and benefactors with a small concert, where they played music, sang and danced on stage.

The master of ceremonies explained that as the children suffer from varying degrees of cerebral palsy, which affects every muscle in the body and restricts movement and actions, being able to perform for the guests was a major achievement for them.

Lam thanked all who had contributed and helped to keep the centre running for the last 56 years, providing extensive treatment and services to its patients free of charge.

“It is a real joy to see these children performing and if you observe closely, all the children are smiling,” said Lam.

“That is a big achievement because when they first came to the centre, they were screaming and crying.”

Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin speaking to one of the trainees in the workshop class as Sultan Sharafuddin (right) and Lam (left) look on.

The guests of honour were later taken on a tour around the centre to observe the children in their sessions in the workshop, vocational class, physiotherapy department and hydrotherapy pool.

The new Sultan Idris Shah Building at the Spastic Centre, which is currently undergoing construction, will cost about RM30mil to build and SCAS&FT has raised about two-thirds of the cost so far.

The 12-storey building can cater to at least 400 more trainees and it will be large enough to provide inpatient services as well.

The building is being targeted for completion within three years.

The Star, Newspaper Cutting – Royal visit spurs RM1.7mil in donations