Juniper
With concerns about the environment growing daily, ParkCity Medical Centre (PMC) decided to shine the spotlight on instilling greater environmental awareness among children through art.
The hospital collaborated with MY Art Studio, a well-established educational hub that cultivates creative and artistic development among children, to jointly hold the i-Kiddo & MyArt drawing competition earlier this year.
Guided by the hospital’s commitment to sustainability as part of the Ramsay Sime Darby Health Care’s pillar of “Caring for our Planet” under RSD Cares, the activity provided a fun platform for the budding artists to creatively express their view of the environment. With the only requirement being that the hospital’s mascot i-Kiddo be part of the artwork, the children unleashed their creativity in highly imaginative ways.
Close to 200 submissions were received from children across the nation, ranging in age from 3 to 12, with 28 creative artworks shortlisted by the judges. All shortlisted entries were displayed at an art exhibition that was held at the hospital. Lee Xun Yi, 7, and Aleesya Qaireen Qaisarah, 10, emerged as the top two winners for the junior and senior categories respectively. Their winning entries were later used to produce exclusive tote bags for charity.
The panel of judges comprised teachers and management of MY Art Studio, as well as senior management and doctors from PMC. A total of 28 winners were selected, with prizes including tablets, health screening vouchers, stationary sets, Lego sets and art & craft kits.
Dr Ong Kuo Ghee, PMC Acting Chief Executive Officer said, “Our corporate responsibility focus this time around was aimed at encouraging the younger generation to think more about how the environment affects them and how they need to take care of it. We do not want sustainability to just be a buzz word but one that people of different ages can relate to. With climate change drastically altering our world, it is important that we instill good values and start educating our children on the importance of preserving the environment for the well-being of people today and the generations to come.”
Jeffers Lim, Director of MY Art Studio, said “Our goal has always been to inspire children to express themselves through art and we are happy to join PMC to spearhead a fun yet educational activity that instills environmentally-conscious values from a young age. It is important that we provide children with creative platforms to explore their potential while building character. After all, every man was once a child who needs education and experience to turn wise and kind.”
PMC’s focus on the environment continued with a visit to the National Autism Society of Malaysia (NASOM) Titiwangsa Centre which was gifted with 60 exclusive tote bags featuring the artworks of the winners from the art competition as a means to raise funds. Hospital management and staff volunteers spent the day with the children, spreading cheer and good will. The activity was also in conjunction with World Autism Day.
