Cheras LeisureMall was awarded the ‘Biggest Mosaic Made of Crayons’ in Malaysia by the Malaysia Book of Records (MBR) on 2 August 2017.
The ‘Biggest Mosaic Made of Crayons’ record attempt was held in conjunction with the Animal Tales Charity Program to support the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) Selangor. This charity program was Cheras LeisureMall’s maiden animal welfare-driven initiative aimed at championing animal conservation and protection. It was also aligned with Cheras LeisureMall’s commitment to promote community-driven activities by contributing and engaging with the surrounding community where the company operates in, and with society at large.
Artistically constructed at Level 2 Cravings Lane, Cheras LeisureMall, the giant mosaic depicts a harmonious group of animals living in the wild, measuring 10.28 metres in length and 6.97 metres in height. The masterpiece was brought to life with 3 tonnes of recycled environmentally and child-friendly Crayola crayon pieces glued to 2,270 mini mosaics. It was a result of a community engagement initiative, where more than 2,000 participants from all walks of life – from as young as a 4-year old child to an 80-year old participant came together with a common passion for animal welfare issues.
Held from 15 – 31 July 2017, with a participation fee of RM10 each, the participants built mini mosaics using the crayon pieces. The mini mosaics were assembled and repurposed to create the ‘Biggest Mosaic Made of Crayons’, which became an iconic showpiece at the mall. Through the community’s tremendous generosity, Cheras LeisureMall raised RM22,740, and together with PPB Group Berhad, the mall’s owner and operator, this initiative channeled a total of RM45,000 to SPCA Selangor.
Under PPB’s CSR project “Let the Blind Read”, PPB assisted the Malaysian Association for the Blind (MAB) in the production of Braille storybooks for primary school children. PPB also sponsored a set of 44 Braille storybooks published by Pelangi Publications to 26 primary schools for the blind in the country. The original Braille storybooks are kept in MAB’s library.
In the production process, PPB staff contributed their time and efforts by typing the storybooks in Microsoft Word format for insertion in the Braille version. On Saturday, 6 December 2014, 21 PPB staff gathered at MAB’s premises for breakfast followed by a short introduction on MAB by Dr Jacqueline who is the Fund-Raising and Sales Revenue Manager of MAB. Dr Jacqueline who is also visually impaired, shared techniques of guiding the visually impaired on the road, to a seat as well as getting into a car. Thereafter, PPB staff were assigned different tasks including typing, cutting, pasting, binding and slipping normal text sheets against the Braille sheets to complete the storybooks.
The voluntary work at MAB enabled PPB staff to spend time together for a good cause and be enlightened by the abilities and capabilities of the visually impaired besides assisting MAB to clear some of their backlog production of Braille books.
Reading, a simple pleasure, not only informs and expands the readers' knowledge but also feeds their imagination. In the current "high tech" revolution, it is unfortunate that reading has largely taken a back seat amongst youngsters of today as they spend most of their leisure hours watching television, playing video or computer games and surfing the internet.
As part of PPB Group Berhad's (PPB) corporate social responsibility to the community, PPB implemented the "Cultivating the Love for Reading" project which was launched end-2006. In this project, twenty (20) National, Chinese and Tamil schools in the Klang Valley, Dengkil, Penang and Perlis were given books under the Ladybird Keyword Reading Scheme or a choice of storybooks with brightly coloured pictures to entice the children to read.
With the co-operation of the teachers, the project has been fruitful as some of the children who could not read initially are now reading independently. As the teachers continue to sow the love for reading in the children through PPB's reading programme, we are certain the children will excel in the English Language in the future.
In 2008, PPB set up three (3) mini libraries for the Orang Asli children, two (2) at Raub and one (1) at Rawang, Selangor equipped with a variety of English and Bahasa Malaysia storybooks. With the assistance of the volunteers from SEMOA (Semenanjong Orang Asli) Ministry, the orang asli children will be guided in their reading.
PPB also gave away teaching aids and books under the Sunshine Publications Group to seven (7) welfare homes in 2009. A 2-day workshop was organized to teach the volunteers of the welfare home, the techniques of story telling and reading to children besides proper usage of the books which are catered for pre-school children.
Responding to the government's call for a reading nation, we hope that through this project, the children will be able to read independently and make reading a life-long habit.
As part of PPB's CSR project for the community, PPB assisted Silent Teddies to set up a cafe. Silent Teddies is a social enterprise started by The Community Service Centre for the Deaf (CSCD) to reduce dependence on public funding through self-help projects. Currently, Silent Teddies manages a bakery, baking a variety of cookies for Air Asia and for special orders.
To kick start the cafe, PPB purchased kitchenware, cutlery, a rice cooker, blender and a cash register. Silent Teddies soft-launched their cafe on 28 October 2013 and a total of 22 PPB staff had lunch there to show their support. The Silent Teddies Cafe aims to give the hearing-impaired youth an opportunity to learn cooking and hospitality skills to eventually prepare them for the workforce.
The staff also ordered Silent Teddies' delicious jam tarts and raisin cornflake cookies; after the first round of orders, some have already placed their second orders!
Those who wish to assist Silent Teddies, may contact Cindy at 03-2031 4599.
