Charting Our Future

Yesterday, the management committee with its advisors held the first of four meetings scheduled for this year. We were pleased with the smooth transition from PBS to PBSNS and the enlarged partnership support base. Although all financial supports are not yet in, we are not worried as it is still early in the year and by faith we believe our pleas will be heard, notwithstanding the current dampened economic climate.

We are like a learner driver being released from a country road into a highway, into uncharted waters. Ordinarily we should be apprehensive but we had none of that emotion. Rather we all felt elated at the vast opportunities and challenges before us. Yes, we have to work hard but we also realise the rewards and satisfaction are great. In a true sense, all of us are pioneering the future of PBSNS and we pray that God will helm every meeting, guide every decision, plan every step and provide every need. I suppose this has been our source of comfort, our faith in God that He will provide every need we ask. As what Pastor Paul Christie, our spiritual advisor shared in his sermon yesterday, we need to have the faith like Abraham to trust God that He will provide all the resources - financial, people, knowledge and leadership, to take PBSNS from one level to the next.

Partnership: Our appeals have begun to bear fruits. Individuals and churches have started donating to our work, so far more than RM10,000 have been received. We expect more in the pipeline.

Staffing: We have peaked in our enrolment. We are trying to create more rooms to take beyond 25 to even 30, but stretching the limit means our staff's ability to run the centre will be similarly stretched. Soon we will be seeking a committed, dedicated, passionate, patient, loving and caring new staff to join our fantastic team of 2 staff and 20 volunteers. The new staff must be a team player with excellent socialising and communication skills. We were also challenged to start looking for a Trainer to oversee every aspect of our training as well as to eventually offering training to new centres being set up.

Expansion: We need more room to grow and it is unhealthy to cram too many people and too much activities into the same space. I believe God will answer our prayer for the new space we need.

Sponsorship: This and the coming years will be ones we will introduce our work to new sponsors. We never believe that recession will cut social responsibility out of many good corporations and foundations. We believe charity work is recession proof, although some donors will give less as a natural reaction.

Membership: We are also seeking new members to join us, Christian adults in Seremban who share the same desire to help the learning disabled, to give time, talents and connections to grow our work.

We are grateful to Pastor Paul and our advisor Neil for suggesting ways to help raise new funds for PBSNS. We have to reach out (to new sponsors, new trainees, new members, new leaders) and reach up (for God's grace and mercy in His ministry).

Charity in Recession Times

People have been telling me that it is bad timing to raise money during recession. It is generally true that pockets are less deep when economy is bad but the key word is 'generally'. In the hearts of charitable people and organizations, recession is not an overcoming factor to decide how much, or how little to be given out. In fact, the reverse can be true, that because the needs are constant, recession should NEVER be a reason to give less. Welfare centres like ours are in constant need to finance our work and look toward a steady stream of resources to put our mind at ease.

The 'Mama Mia!' musical is ongoing at the Istana Budaya, Kuala Lumpur. I read with interest how the Star Foundation and SP Setia Charity Foundation are actively raising funds to support the works of selected welfare centres throughout the nation that cannot survive financially on their own without such public donations. Recently I also read of another charity called the Budimas Foundation carrying out similar works but with a different focus. Here in Malaysia I believe that charity is in the core of many people and organizations. Not because they get any returns but they just find it so natural to be helpful. Isn't that so Malaysian? And this makes me really proud to be one, in spite of the many negative political talks about race, religion and government policies in the various blogs.

Charity foundations are very common in the west. I google that term and come up with many such foundations in the United States that aid the handicapped families, small businesses and welfare homes. Most are for those within the nation although they do support international needs but qualifying conditions are stiff and competitive. As more and more centres vie to get limited supports the chances of getting a reasonable sum is harder. As such it seems that to be in the race one has to impress as well as do very well to earn that support. The philosophy of any foundation work is to give to those that deserve to be helped. In the coming years I guess we have to work real hard to join the category that 'deserved to be helped'.

Like the proverb in Bahasa Malaysia says, 'Sedikit sedikit menjadi bukit', translated to mean 'Bit by little bit a hill will be formed', so we will need the charity from many hearts to build up the required financial base to enable our work to be discharged without any anxieties even in recession times. Our faith is that recession is NOT in the equation of charity. And I hope that our supporters feel the same way.