It was an emotional end for 126 college students after the charity event aptly named Truly Loving Campaign they organised for three days became a resounding success moreover the money they collected surpassed their initial target.

They were excited that they contributed in a creative way helping the less fortunate, they were happy that everybody congratulated them for a job well done, they were sad because they are many less fortunate people who are being neglected and they were relieved, the stress that comes together with organising such an event has passed.

The event that started on 11th August ended two days later. After three days they manage to collect RM22,018.00 from the sales of The Truly Loving Company’s (TLC) household and personal care products.. Their initial target was to sell off products worth RM12,000.00.

A mock receipt bearing the total sales was handed over by the Head of the School of Social Science and Humanities, Tunku Abdul Rahman College (TAR College), Mr. Lee Hwee Chuin to the CEO of TLC, Julia C F Chong at the end of the closing ceremony on 13th August 2008 at the College Hall, TAR College Kuala Lumpur main campus in Jalan Ulu Klang, Setapak, Kuala Lumpur.

The charity campaign was organised by 77 Year One students of the Advance Diploma Mass Communication (Public Relations) of TAR College, in partial fulfillment for coursework of AHMC 4034 Events Management.

They also roped in their seniors, 49 of them, Year Two students of the Advance Diploma in Mass Communication (Advertising) to produce creative advertising strategies, in partial fulfillment for coursework of AHMC 5614 Creative Strategy for Advertising.

The objective of the campaign was to create awareness of the unique business structure of TLC that distributes 100% of their dividends to its five charity partners in Malaysia and to promote TLC’s products.

The five charity homes are Rumah Aman, Hospis Malaysia, Shelter Home for Children, Handicapped and Mentally Disabled Children Association of Johor Bahru and National Stroke Association of Malaysia (NASAM). The advertising students set up a mock house in the middle of the hall and every visitor was taken to a tour around the “house” and showed how TLC’s products could be used around the house and by its occupants and by doing so, contribute to the less fortunate.

In keeping up with the campaign’s concept – Spreading the Love (help the less fortunate) the Truly Loving Campaigners as the students called themselves set up individual information booth for all charity homes and manned it themselves with the knowledge they researched on their own.

During the three day event they also invited talented students from the college to sing and dance on stage, organised a performance by the college’s music society and a celebrity performance from 8TV Chinese entertainment programme Go Go Go to keep the visitors entertained.

To add to the fun a DiGi treasure hunt was also organised to create awareness among the students who visited the event. DiGi, a telecommunications company, was the main sponsor for the charity campaign.

Representatives of the five charity homes were also given time during the three day event to deliver a public talk each to introduce their organisation, objectives, struggles, concerns, vision and the challenges ahead.

More than 3,000 students, their parents, relatives and friends visited the event. TAR College has a 27,000 student population.

Rumah Aman, being one of the beneficiary of the campaign would like to thank TAR College and the Truly Loving Campaigners for their enthusiasm in making the event a meaningful one.

Rumah Aman turned into a treasure hunting ground when all the children and invited school friends converged to a tea party and birthday celebrations themed The Pirates of the Caribbean on August 3, 2008.

Some of the children dressed in The Pirates of the Caribbean t-shirts with bandanas, one eyed patches and swashing balloon swords, had a swell time acting as pirates.

Most of the children had their faces painted with beards and moustache and some even had their eyebrows made thicker like those of Captain Hook’s.

Led by Captain Mike Separuh (pronounced spa -rowh, separuh in Malay means half) the magician, the “pirates” had a jolly good time singing, dancing and playing tricks on each other, not forgetting the sword fights which were “aggressive” and “dangerous”.

Each of the 20 school going children of Rumah Aman were given an opportunity to invite three of their school friends and parents to attend the tea party.

Some of them chose to invite their school teachers instead. There were about 100 attendees.

The tea party was thrown by Y. Bhg. Datin Pon Ishak who came with her four sons. Y. Bhg. Datin Pon is the wife of Y. Bhg. Dato’ Ahmad Nawawi, Rumah Aman’s patron.

The tea party was organised partly to celebrate Rumah Aman boys whose birth date falls in July and August besides rewarding the children who did well in the mid term school examinations.

The boys who celebrated their birthdays in July were Muhammad Redha Yaasin who turned 9, Muhammad Ashraf Hakimi, who turned 8, and Muhammad Firdaus Hadiyani who turned 5 years old. The only August birthday boy is Muhamad Faiz Md. Salleh who is now 5 years old.

The boys who did well in their mid term school examinations were Muhammad Firdhan Rahmat,9, who came 1st in his class and Raziq Hafizi,9, who came 3rd in his class. The other two were Amirul Amsyar, 8, and Razman Azrai,7.They received a medal and a school bag each from Founder of Rumah Aman, Mehrunissa Dakri.

Abdul Rehman Dakri who is also the founder of Rumah Aman gave away watches to Rumah Aman children who can now tell time. They are Muhamad Firdan, Raziq Hafizi, Muhammad Arif, Muhammad Redha Yaasin all 9 year olds. Mohamad Nor Amirul Shah, Muhammad Asyraf Hakimi, Amirul Amsyar and Roslan Hamgalim, all 8 years old and Razman Azrai, Izzul Isam, Muhammad Hafizuddin and Ahmad Rifqi, all 7 years old.

A butter cake decorated to the theme Pirates of the Caribbean sealed the birthday celebrations.

We like to thank Datin Pon for organising such a wonderful tea party, our children’s friends and their parents for joining in the celebrations, “Captain Mike Separuh” who kept us entertained and Aunty Aishah Halim for the cake and its creative decorations.