Highlights

We are continuing to appeal to our readers and visitors to donate to our work of running two centres. The annual budget is RM120,000 (USD38,000) for 2014 and 2015 and will grow higher as we recruit more staff and take in additional trainees.

Please make payment to 'Persatuan Berdikari Seremban Negeri Sembilan' with your name and address on a cover slip so we can mail you our official receipt. All donations from April 1 2011 will be exempted from taxation by the Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia. Please send the payment to:

The Treasurer, Persatuan Berdikari Seremban Negeri Sembilan, 381, Jalan Kenanga 1, Taman Bukit Chedang, 70300 Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia.

Thank you for your support.

Thursday, May 27, 2010

How Large is Our Building Fund?

Ooops! I was told I did not specify anywhere in this blog how much we really needed. Perhaps it was because we have not obtained the actual cost of doing up the new centre but I think I should post here an educated estimate.

Estimated Cost of All Repairs, Renovations and Equipment Required - RM150,000
Repayment of Private Loans - RM40,000
Total - RM190,000 (= Building Fund Size, subject to refinement)

Estimated Proceeds from Recent Golf Tournament - RM80,000
Amount to be Raised - RM110,000

You can help by paying into:

Name of Account: PBSNS Building Fund
Account No. 3159848617
Name of Bank: Public Bank, Jalan Rasah Branch
Routing Code: PBBEMYKL

and then drop us an email to pbssbn@gmail.com or call us at 06-7632005 to inform us so we can track your donation.

If you prefer the regular method of payment by cheque please send it to the address above. Thank you.

We will post periodic updates on this building fund to keep you informed.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Teamwork Par Excellence

I have not seen better teamwork and zeal than the golf organizing committee I served in the past few months. Julia was the lightning rod that galvanized us on besides getting many participants and sponsors, including hole-in-one and hole sponsors through her contacts; Susan was on the go getting sponsors and donors of prizes; Linda was faultless as the MC; Peter McGovern (advisor) provided insights we easily missed; Betsi showed her mettle in secretarial work and book-keeping; Eugene maintains the full accounts for the event; Nisha helped out during the main luncheon event itself besides securing an oil painting for auction; and David who coming in late in the team, provided muscles to have all the mineral water, goodies and prizes loaded into the van, deliver to Nilai Springs and helped the ladies pack and sort them on the eve of the tournament. Puan Faridah Khalid, our chairman, was a pillar of strength and support in guiding us into and around the way we should address the royals and how to behave ourselves. Her favorite advice: Sembah the Tuankus when you stand up, or when you return to your seat. IF YOU REMEMBER, she kept saying. She sounded reassuringly confident that if we forget the Tuankus will not exile us. She really made us feel at ease on the big day. Everyone recruit players to join and put his and her other resources to work. We are hence better called the golf tournament working committee rather than the organizing committee.

There were moments of stress but everyone was focussed on the goal - raise as much as possible for PBSNS. There were frustrations too when we chased after our targets but through it all we learned a valuable lesson in humility and perseverance.

Years later we all shall look upon May 22, 2010 with fond memories. Having our beloved Yam Tuan and Tunku Ampuan Besar grace the event really gave us all the driving force to excel. And we learn palace protocol. We learn that goodness is on tap in people we know. What we need is to know how to draw them out and it will just flow.

Our next fund raiser while smaller is nonetheless as important, because we are still short of our target amount. How fast the new centre can be built depends on how quickly we raise the money. Around October we plan a fund raising dinner. Hopefully we will have another teamwork par excellence.

Golf Pix to Remember

I got back a photo CD of memorable golfing event of the past weekend. Just while I was thinking how to read my speech now it has become history. 2 hours ago I gave my press writeup and several pictures to the Seremban Star office. I hope they will publish the event soon. You are luckier because here I am showing you a few of the best pictures I selected from the pile.









Sunday, May 23, 2010

How Did the Golf Tournament Go?

Surely some of you are asking this now that it has ended. I will write a longer post here after I got some pictures to accompany it. For now please visit my personal blog at this post to read of my reflections. It has been an extremely satisfying moment and the money raised will help speed up our work. However the amount raised is insufficient to cover our total requirements so more fund raisers are in the pipelines.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Excitement Building Up

The past 2 months has been hectic to the organizing committee in gearing up to the big day next Saturday. Most of the time they chased after golfers, sponsors and donors, at times even persuading them to do something good for charity. It is pretty hard to lower one's dignity sometimes but this I must say about the committee, some of them are really GREAT fund raisers. At the recent meetings they just bring in cheques from Mr. So and So or Datin So and So.

Besides that a couple of them went after prize sponsors, especially Hole-in-One sponsors, and they got THREE! This is a marvelous achievement and something to be proud of. As of now, the tournament registration is closed and we have 2 Hole sponsors, many winner and lucky draw prizes. We achieved our target of at least 30 flights. We got 32 flights.

Oh, we went on publicity campaign too. We got our event publicized on an English local and 3 Chinese local editions. We got it announced on air. And a promotion writeup from a major Hole-in-One sponsor is expected to be released soon to the press.

The messages have all been written. The souvenir magazine is taking shape. The banner and buntings are coming along. What do we lack? Yes, a great weather for May 22. Would you help us pray for that? Thank you.