PBSNS Year End Party

It has become a tradition of PBSNS to hold a year end party for the trainees to celebrate the closing of a good year. Today, December 15, 25 out of 28 trainees together with many parents, caregivers, staff, volunteers, committee members and donors came together for a simple time of fun and lunch. A group of youths from the D'Nous Academy which has made it their community service for many years came here to help the trainees have fun with songs and dances.

We thank all those who have helped with organizing the event, especially the donors and preparers of food, drinks, fruits and other refreshments, as well as putting up the Christmas tree and year end decorations. It was indeed a multi-racial event as we came together to give support to a worthy cause of helping our kids with learning disabilities experience the joy of celebrating as a community.

PBSNS Sunday - 24th August 2014

PBSNS founding church, Wesley Methodist Church Seremban, designated 24^th August 2014 as PBSNS Sunday.                   

Rebecca Backus, PBSNS chairman updated the congregation on the work/activities of the centre.  She challenged the congregation saying PBSNS is not about us. It is about what we can do for them.  She announced that PBSNS is proud to have placed two more trainees in open employment. 

                  Sasthri Mogan is employed at Mawar Renal Medical Centre as a Concierge.

                                  Phoon Sheng Yu has started work at KFC, Rasah Jaya. 

Following the service, products made by PBSNS trainees were sold.  Our thanks to WMC Seremban congregation,  for the overwhelming support.

As we celebrate PBSNS  Sunday, Patricia Koh, Parent/Volunteer has this inspiring story by Jim Stovall to offer to the parents of special children as they struggle to help their children to reach their fullest potential. Her prayer is that it will help parents counter any negative thoughts and obstacles that come along their paths that may present them with little hope or encouragement.

There were two warring tribes in the Andes, one that lived in the lowlands and the other high in the mountains. The mountain people invaded the lowlanders one day, and as part of their plundering of the people, they kidnapped a baby of one of the lowlander families and took the infant with them back up into the mountains.

The lowlanders didn’t know how to climb the mountain. They didn’t know any of the trails that the mountain people used, and they didn’t know where to find the mountain people or how to track them in the steep terrain.

Even so, they sent out their best party of fighting men to climb the mountain and bring the baby home.

The men tried first one method of climbing and then another. They tried one trail and then another. After several days of effort, however, they had climbed only several hundred feet.

Feeling hopeless and helpless, the lowlander men decided that the cause was lost, and they prepared to return to their village below.

As they were packing their gear for the descent, they saw the baby’s mother walking towards them. They realized that she was coming DOWN the mountain that they hadn’t figured out how to climb.

And then they saw that she had the baby strapped to her back. HOW COULD THAT BE?

One man greeted her and said, “We couldn’t climb this mountain. How did you do this when we, the strongest and most able men in the village couldn’t do it?”

She shrugged her shoulders and said, “It wasn’t your baby.”

This story symbolizes so much that is important. Yes, there are dedicated people working with our children, providing marvelous support and help for them. But parents, we have to blaze the trail. The path we travel may be lonely and challenging and the journey long and tiring, but we are not alone. The awesome voice of God echoes from the mountain “….never will I leave you, never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5) “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble” (Psalms 46:1)

Leadership Change

The incumbent chairman, Peter Yew, stepped down at the 6th AGM held on 24th May 2014 having served in this position since the Association was formed in 2008, and prior to that as chairman of Pusat Berdikari Seremban from 2004. In his farewell address he thanked his staff and fellow committee members for their valuable work and assistance. The new chairman is Ms Rebecca Backus assisted by Ms Mable Chin. We look forward to a new chapter in the work of this community service to empower the learning disabled to find jobs.

Year End Party

As in previous years the trainees were given time out from work to enjoy a party on December 10 in which parents and special guests from the Rotary Club of Seputeh were invited. Here are some pictures of the event that culminates the year of 2013.

A Christmas Gift from the Rotary Club of Seputeh

We are honored to be selected by the Rotary Club of Seputeh to be the recipient of their charity award of RM13,900 during their Charter Installation of the President and Board of Directors on December 1, 2013 at the Bukit Jalil Golf and Country Resort, Kuala Lumpur. The Seputeh Rotary Club was earlier chartered on August 31, 2013 under the Kuala Lumpur Rotary International District 3300, Malaysia. We want to take this opportunity to congratulate the newly installed President, Rotarian Raymond Chin, and to thank him for the generous and kind gesture towards our community service, as well as to his fellow Board members for their faith in the work we are doing to help those with learning disabilities in Seremban. Special thanks also goes to Rotarian Christina Chai for her active support and recommendation. On the evening of December 1, those staff, volunteers and trainees who were present at the installation service cum dinner enjoyed the program and were thankful for the opportunity to put up a dance presentation. It was indeed a very memorable evening that ended around midnight. We are pleased to share a few pictures of this occasion with our readers.