GEORGE TOWN: After two years of being cooped up, a seven-year-old boy is ready to go out and have fun at a theme park this Christmas, provided there’s a good Samaritan to make his wish come true.
“I hope my friends and I can have a day out at a theme park. We’ve been wanting to go to one ever since we heard about how fun it is.
“After two years of movement restrictions because of the pandemic, a day out at a theme park would really be a nice way to end the year,” said the boy, who is among the residents of The Salvation Army Penang Children’s Home.
For a start, they can look forward to celebrating the holiday season this year with Christmas carolling and a movie treat.
Home manager Becky Lurence said the children were grateful to have received invitations from prominent hotels in Penang for a night of carols and movies.
“With the pandemic easing, we have been operating Open Days at our home to enable members of the public to enter our premises and be part of a carnival-like atmosphere while we raise much-needed funds for the operation of our home.
“The Covid-19 pandemic halted the physical Open Day event in the last three years, and we hope to have the next one in 2023 on a larger scale,” she said.
Lurence said they would really appreciate receiving groceries such as rice, noodles, milk, fresh vegetables and fruits.
“We have growing children who need all the healthy meals they can get.
“The children need motivation to study well in school, too. Thus, we welcome volunteers to mentor our children in certain academic subjects for several months.
“Corporate companies, too, can invite our children to visit their offices or factories so that they can be motivated to study better in school,” she said.
Lurence said the home also needs more financial contributions to help defray expenses such as utility bills, medical bills and transportation costs.
“This is because we provide 24/7 care to children in need. We welcome members of the public to come to our Logan Road location to learn more about what we do.
“We have been assisting Penangites since 1938, and we operate one of the oldest children’s homes on the island.
“The Salvation Army Penang also manages a thrift shop in Perak Road where we accept items in good and usable condition such as clothing, books, furniture and any household items.
“We will either channel the items to communities in need or we will sell them at our thrift store to raise much-needed funds,” she said, adding that they run a community service programme to assist B40 families on the island as well.
“There are many ways for everyone to be part of what we do.”
Currently, the home houses 18 residents, aged between seven and 17.
Most of the children come from households that are unable to care for them due to poverty, health issues, absentee parents (for various reasons), or other factors that prevent them from providing a safe place to grow up.