Feb 07 2007 /
Malaysian Alumni Touch the Lives of Flood Victims
By Ashvin Nambiar Ragavan (Nambee)
Hosted in Florence, SC, 2006
“Real generosity is doing something nice for someone who will never find it out.” These were my opening words at the official handing over ceremony of items donated to those affected by Malaysia floods.
2006 alumni in Malaysia had been working hard for months to plan an event in which they could show their love for peace and aiding others in distress. We were ever ready to lend a hand upon hearing of the tragedy which had befallen our neighboring state. We began by appealing for donations of old blankets and clothing from our local townsfolk, who responded so generously to the cause.
On the 10th of January 2007, the dream of all the alumni, in particular me, became a reality with the official handing over ceremony. The ceremony was held at Kajang High School and was attended by some 100 people, including members of Yes Alumni, the Red Crescent and press representatives from The Herald Weekly Tribune.
The Ceremony kicked off at 2:00 p.m. with my opening speech in which I thanked everyone for their support, including the US Government for planting the seeds of peace with the YES program, and Mr N. Murugan of the Red Crescent of Malaysia. Mr. Nurugan was present at the ceremony to receive the alumni donations. I also noted that despite the fact that the program had ended, the lessons obtained would never die.
Resilience was our creed, “Though we failed in our first attempt, it did not stop us as we knew that every obstacle is a mere stepping stone to success.”
Mr Murugan commented, “The alumni have done an excellent job in doing this. They should extend their reach to many other forms of social service. We need people like them to help bring about awareness to more youngsters, not only in regards to the program but also to the benefits of their community services.”
Undeterred resilience: That is the key to the success of the 3rd batch of AFS-YES alumni. As an ending note, I felt it was prudent to add a very wise saying from Confucius, “It is better to light a small candle than to curse the darkness."
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