BANK STAFF PITCH IN TO SPRUCE UP SCHOOL
THE community spirit was alive and well as RHB Banking Group personnel joined teachers and parents of SK Seri Kepong to create an improved learning and playing environment at the school.
While the students were kept entertained with activities such as a colouring session and a hydroponics workshop, about 60 RHB staff members got down and dirty with their hands by shovelling rocks and sand to fill old unused tyres to serve as a play area that also had a fresh coat of paint to brighten up the place.
Others cleaned the newly refurbished gym while the rest did some gardening in the new hydroponic garden.
This RHB Touch Hearts (#rhbtouchhearts) initiative on a recent Saturday was part of RHB’s way to give back to the community.
Among those who pitched in at the school in Kuala Lumpur were RHB Banking Group managing director Datuk Khairussaleh Ramli, RHB Banking Group chief marketing officer Abdul Sani Abdul Murad, RHB Banking Group chief strategy officer Gan Pai Li, SK Seri Kepong headmaster Rosman Matnoor, parents and teachers association chairman Jeremy Tan Chong Meng and Toclan NFT Hydroponics specialist Roslan Ghazali.
On why SK Seri Kepong was selected as the school to receive a helping hand from RHB, Khairussaleh said: “We set some parameters on what we would like to do and looked at a few pillars such as education and infrastructure when deciding on what community weekend event to implement.
“Essentially, we allowed our staff to pick what they would like to do within the guidelines and this school was actually chosen by
our Group Marketing and Group Strategy staff members to do some community work.”
SK Seri Kepong’s needs were highlighted by the media which prompted RHB staff members to take action.
“The idea is to help the school be able to upgrade and upkeep on a needs basis and help them achieve what they need.
“Before this, there was nothing in the garden and the school agreed to turn it into a play area for the students to have fun and release stress.
“It’s also good for the students to have a better feel when certain things are refreshed in the school,” Khairussaleh said.
Thanks to the combined efforts of all involved, SK Seri Kepong now has a spruced up gym, a new play area and also a hydroponic garden where students can learn about growing plants without soil while cultivating an eco-friendly mindset from an early age.
Headmaster Rosman thanked RHB Banking Group for “their willingness to help the school together with the parents and teachers to upgrade the existing facilities and build a play area that is extremely useful for the students.”
“The school really needed one because it can serve as a tool or means of education outside of the classroom,” he said.
The next day, a team from the bank’s Group Investment Banking unit visited Kampung Orang Asli Batu 12 in Gombak, also in Kuala Lumpur.
At the village, the volunteers assisted with repairs and restoration of a single mother’s home, and upgraded a children’s mini hall. Khairussaleh also handed over equipment and foodstuff to the villagers.
Over that weekend, RHB Banking Group touched the lives of more than 6,000 underprivileged and marginalised members of the community across Asean countries, particularly children and youths, through its annual RHB Touch Hearts initiative.
The corporate responsibility programme which was themed “Enriching the Community” saw 33 teams across Asean countries comprising 14,500 employees embarking on 43 initiatives that weekend that revolved around education, environment, infrastructure, family/community well-being and health and wellness.
Over the last three years, RHB Touch Hearts raised RM1.3mil in cash and kind and reached out to more than 18,900 underprivileged and marginalised members of the community.