On our second Giving Tuesday campaign on November 28, 2023, we asked our ISKL community to come together and make a difference—and you did just that! We’re excited to share the incredible ways our community’s contributions were put to use, directly impacting our students’ initiatives and supporting the work of our Community Partners.
Thanks to our generous donors, we successfully raised RM16,643.45, with a little over 50% of the proceeds, RM 8281.00, donated to the ISKL Inspire Programs (People, Places, Programs). The remaining money, RM 7498.00, was given to our High School (HS) Student Leadership Team (SLT) and ISKL Service Council, which in turn was split up and donated to four ISKL Service Learning clubs: the Protection of Animal Welfare and Safety Club (PAWS) Club, The Key Club, The Chin Community Partnership Club, and the Children’s Future Education Center (CFEC).
Here, we hear from representatives from the four HS Service Clubs and how Giving Tuesday has made a tangible difference to their initiatives:
The Protection of Animal Welfare and Safety (PAWS) Club
“The Society For The Prevention of Cruelty To Animals (SPCA) Selangor asked for a refrigerator and a vacuum cleaner in preparation for their Gotong Royong event in the Subang Jaya community. Gotong Royong is an event to promote animal welfare initiated by SPCA Selangor in collaboration with local veterinary organizations and the Subang Jaya municipal council to mass neuter 200 dogs and 200 cats to promote responsible pet ownership.
The Giving Tuesday donation significantly impacted the volunteers working at the event. The refrigerator allowed them to store essential medication for the animals safely, and the vacuum cleaner enabled efficient and thorough cleaning, ensuring a safe environment for the animals. Overall, the Giving Tuesday funds were incredibly beneficial for a smooth and successful neutering event.” ~ Euan K.(’25)
Key Club
“The Zotung Refugee Catholic Learning Centre students are natural creatives but often lack the tools to develop their passions. In our weekly gatherings at ISKL, keeping the youngest kids’ focus has been almost impossible when they get ahold of whiteboard markers! That’s when the ZRCLC teachers told us their students loved art projects at school but were often short of supplies for things such as finger paints, colored markers, and brushes. The Key Club applied for the Giving Tuesday funds to provide ZRCLC students with whiteboard markers and art supplies (including colored markers, paint, sketchbooks, and watercolor sets) – allowing their creative juices to flow both in and outside the traditional ‘classroom’ setting.
Seeing the effects of the Giving Tuesday contribution first-hand was a beautiful experience: the ZRCLC kids’ eyes were glowing as we unboxed the whiteboard markers at their school, even more so as we played Pictionary together with the different colors. I believe ISKL community members should not only donate to the Giving Tuesday initiative but stay proactive and find out where their proceeds are going.” – Zhao Yang K. (’25)
The Chin Community Partnership Club
“The funds went towards learning tools kids could use at the Chin Community refugee center. This included a projector, 30 desk seats, 30 markers, a globe, a speaker, and cabinets bought to store books. The kids often come to the school and have access to all our school supplies, but when they return to the center, they do not have access to such learning materials.
The funds from Giving Tuesday also became a great opportunity to provide a more enriched educational space at the refugee center. For example, we did geography lessons and got them a globe so the kids could continue learning about the world. We also did a few sessions on technology, so in the future, we aim to get a tablet for them paired with a projector, which would aid a lot in future learning involving technology.” ~ Ryan L. (’25)
Children’s Future Education Center (CFEC)
“Securing enough funding to purchase essential items for the CFEC School within the allocated budget of RM1500 was a challenge. Budgeting for the project involved careful consideration of the allocated grant and prioritizing essential items such as rice, milk, eggs, and school learning materials. However, through organizing and implementing the project, the team discovered additional needs at the CFEC School that were not initially accounted for in the budget. These additional needs, such as beds, room partitions, toiletries/ toiletry bags, a juicer, bean bags, bed sheets/covers, and aluminum floor mats, indicate a broader range of requirements to improve the living conditions and educational environment at the CFEC School.
While the initial grant may not have been sufficient to cover all of these needs, the team’s awareness of them presents an opportunity for further fundraising efforts to address them in the future. Other than that, coordinating the ordering, delivery, and transportation of the essential items to the CFEC School also presented logistical challenges, especially considering the distance between the schools and the logistical constraints in the area. We had to think on our feet and proactively plan the transportation routes and schedules to ensure timely delivery.” ~ Shevonne Thomas, CFEC Club Advisor
As seen from the student testimonials, the impact of the Giving Tuesday contributions reaches way beyond numbers and projects—it changes lives. Every donation, large or small, has helped us build a stronger, more vibrant school community and, in turn, impacted those in the broader community. The Giving Tuesday donations provide ISKL students with an invaluable, hands-on, problem-solving opportunity. While it’s easy to quantify the donation amounts in dollars and cents, the value of this real-world experience is immeasurable. The ISKL Giving Tuesday campaign is truly a vehicle for students to care for all and create a better world.
We thank all those who donated for their generosity and can’t wait to see how these donations will lead to more meaningful engagement between our student service clubs and their community partners. We also look forward to sharing more success stories. Look out for more updates on our upcoming Giving Tuesday event, the Community Service & Sustainability Fundraising Fair on December 3, 2024!
If you’d like to read more about ISKL’s Giving Tuesday campaign, go to https://www.iskl.edu.my/giving/, or if you’d like to make a gift, go here.
