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Community Partnerships

AIA Agency Force Raises RM60,000 For Children Heart Patients

August 13, 2002 - Kuala Lumpur
 
Through a pledge to donate RM1 per life insurance policy sold, the Agency Force of American International Assurance (AIA) has recently raised RM60,000 to help needy children undergo open-heart surgery.

The funds were raised by AIA agents between January and June this year. This initiative is an on-going fundraising project, and additional funds continue to be contributed to the Fund every day. Since the inception of the AIA Have-A-Heart Fund in 1998, the RM1 donation drive has so far successfully raised about RM350,000 for the Fund. The money collected will be used to sponsor heart surgeries urgently required by children whose families cannot afford the expensive procedure.

Describing the fundraising project, Mark O'Dell, AIA's Senior Vice President and General Manager said, "Through this meaningful campaign, the AIA's agency force has been able to show their caring side and perform community service every day despite their busy schedules. Their compassionate support towards the Fund will ensure the continuous success of this community programme, and will give a better future to many more children who suffer from heart disease."

To date, the Fund has sponsored nearly RM1 million towards the cost of surgery for 68 paediatric heart patients. The most recent recipient who benefited from the AIA Have-A-Heart Fund was Eh Hoo Lim, who recently underwent heart surgery.

1-year-old Eh Hoo Lim was found to be suffering from ventricular septal defect since birth. His condition had been slowly deteriorating and he urgently required open heart surgery to prevent it from worsening.

His family could not afford to raise funds for the surgery as Hoo Lim's father is a mechanic and mother is a housewife.

Upon learning about their plight, the AIA Have-A-Heart Fund immediately stepped in to donate RM15,000 towards Hoo Lim's surgery. The surgery which took place at the National Heart Institute (IJN) in Kuala Lumpur recently was very successful. Hoo Lim is now on the way to leading a normal life. His parents expressed their sincere thanks to the AIA Have-A-Heart Fund for making it possible for Hoo Lim to have a bright future to look forward to.

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AIA & SHARP Donate Reconditioned Photocopiers To Schools

September 12, 2001
 
Kuala Lumpur – American International Assurance (AIA) recently presented reconditioned photocopiers to five schools in a joint effort with Sharp Roxy Sales and Services Company.

One photocopier each was presented to several primary and secondary schools located in the vicinity of Menara AIA. The schools were Sekolah Menengah St John, Sekolah Kebangsaan St John 2, Sekolah Menengah Convent Bukit Nanas, as well as Convent Bukit Nanas – 1 and 2.

The project was part of AIA’s on-going neighbourhood initiative programme, which aims to help develop the surrounding community in which the company operates.

"This project is a joint effort with Sharp, who have undertaken to service and ensure the good working condition of these photocopiers which were previously used in our old headquarters, Wisma AIA," said AIA Senior Vice President and General Manager, Mark O’ Dell at the presentation ceremony.

"Institutions of learning play an extremely important role in moulding the future of our country, therefore AIA and Sharp are pleased to be able to extend our assistance and support to these schools," he added.

In AIA’s recent move from its former headquarters to Menara AIA, the company had also donated 268 pieces of furniture previously used in Wisma AIA to various associations, schools and non-profit organisations to meet the needs of their daily operations.

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AIA Agency Force Raises RM50,000 for Child Heart Patients

August 20, 2001
 
The Agency Force of American International Assurance (AIA) has recently raised RM50,000 to help needy children undergo open-heart surgery.

The funds were raised by AIA agents between January and May this year. For each new life insurance policy sold, the agents donated RM1 to the AIA Have-A-Heart Fund. This initiative is an on-going fundraising project, and additional funds continue to be contributed to the Fund every day.

Since the inception of the AIA Have-A-Heart Fund in 1998, the RM1 donation drive has so far successfully raised about RM224,000 for the Fund. The money collected will be used to sponsor heart surgeries urgently required by children whose families cannot afford the expensive procedure. To date, the Fund has sponsored RM814,000 towards the cost of surgery for 52 paediatric heart patients.

At the recent Life Underwriter Sales Executive Board (LUSEB) seminar held on 10 August 2001 at the Genting Highland Resort, Jeffrey Kee, President of LUSEB who represented the agency force of AIA handed over the cheque for RM50,000 to Mark O' Dell, AIA's Senior Vice President and General Manager. O' Dell expressed gratitude to those contributing towards the programme, and commended the agency force for their compassionate support towards the Fund.

"The AIA Have-A-Heart Fund is a long-term community relations programme which aims to help to improve the lives of deserving children, their families and the overall community," said O' Dell. "Although RM1 may seem an almost insignificant amount, the combined contributions of nearly 7,000 AIA insurance agents to the Have-A-Heart Fund add up to a substantial sum. Their contributions will ensure the continuous success of the Fund, so that many more children throughout the country will stand a chance of living a better, and indeed a longer life."

"AIA prides itself not only on its exceptional financial strength and ability, but also in its commitment to the Malaysian people. AIA's agents and staff are extremely proud of the important contribution we are making to the betterment of children's lives," he added.
 

August 2, 2001 - Kuala Lumpur

American International Assurance (AIA) recently organised a campaign to collect second hand items from its staff and agents, which were later contributed to several welfare homes and charitable organisations.

The aim of the "Let's Care & Share" campaign was to collect used items that are still in good condition, and which can be put to good use by welfare homes.

The programme received overwhelming response as the employees donated clothes, toys, magazines, books, household items and even old furniture to the cause. Nearly 50 boxes of these items were collected.

The welfare homes which received the contributions were Rumah Ozanam and Wawasan Orphanage Centre. The donations were also channeled to the Malaysian Red Crescent Society in aid of flood victims. Rumah Ozanam is a home for abused, neglected, abandoned and homeless children. It also provides temporary shelter for battered women and unwed mothers, while Wawasan Orphanage Centre is a home for 20 children and 11 elderly folks.

At the presentation ceremony, AIA Senior Vice President and General Manager, Mark O' Dell handed out the donations to representatives from the two homes and the Malaysian Red Crescent Society.

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July 23, 2001

On 23/7/2001, the parents of three Have-A-Heart Fund recipients, who were recovering from heart surgery, held a press conference to thank AIA for helping to sponsor their respective operations at the Gleneagles Medical Centre, Penang.

Loh Guat Lan, AIA Assistant Vice President & Director of Agencies (North) as well as agents and staff were at the hospital to see how the chidlren were doing, and presented fruit baskets to their families.

A total of RM26,500 from the AIA Have-A-Heart Fund was contributed towards the cost of surgery for one-year old Lee Zhi Xuan, two-year-old Yeap Mou Qie and three-year-old Amirah Ahmad Sabri.
 

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AIA Have-A-Heart Fund Sponsors Young Heart Patients

July 18, 2001 - Kuala Lumpur

Ten-month-old Khaw Xuan Rong is now on the way to leading a normal life thanks to the AIA Have-A-Heart Fund which sponsored her open-heart surgery recently.

Her father, Khaw Kiang Giap, 26, and her mother, Tan Chin Hui, 25 said they could not afford to pay for the expensive open-heart surgery as they only earn a combined monthly income of RM1,600. Khaw works as a shop assistant while Tan is a factory accounts clerk.

Xuan Rong has been suffering from a heart condition called Tetralogy of Fallot. Besides heart problems, she also suffers from complete cleft palate and is not able to eat well as the food will regurgitate into her nose when she eats.

The family made an appeal earlier this year for financial assistance to carry out the vital heart surgery required by Xuan Rong. Upon learning of her plight, the AIA Have-A-Heart Fund came forward to donate RM20,000 towards Xuan Rong's surgery.

The surgery which took place at the Penang Adventist Hospital recently was very successful. Prior to the surgery, Xuan Rong was tired all the time and would easily fall sick. Like most babies, Xuan Rong loves to play but even this was difficult for her as every time she exerted herself, she became breathless and her skin would turn blue.

After she underwent surgery, such difficulties have become a thing of the past as she made a rapid and satisfactory recovery. Her parents expressed their sincere thanks to AIA for making it possible for Xuan Rong to live a normal life. "We are very happy and very grateful. We would like to thank the AIA Have-A-Heart Fund for helping to save Xuan Rong's life".

Meanwhile, six-year-old Nalan Raj a/l Balan is also recovering from surgery to correct his congenital heart septal defect. The surgery was recently carried out at the National Heart Institute (IJN) in Kuala Lumpur.

His father, Balan a/l Muniandy, 36, a lorry driver and mother, Indra d/o Selvarajoo, 28, a housewife thanked the AIA Have-A-Heart Fund for donating RM12,500 towards the cost of the surgery.

AIA Senior Vice President and General Manager, Mark O' Dell said the AIA Have-A-Heart Fund is aimed at helping deserving children to undergo heart surgeries.

"These young children can now look forward to a future full of hope and promise. We are glad that the AIA Have-A-Heart Fund has made a meaningful difference to Xuan Rong and Nalan's lives," he added.
 

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June 2001

American International Assurance (AIA) recently paid a special tribute to mothers of children with heart diseases. At a Mother's Day celebration organised by the Gleneagles Medical Centre, Penang, Ms. Loh Guat Lan, AIA Assistant Vice President & Director of Agencies (North) acknowledged the efforts of these women, and that they deserved special recognition for all that they have done for their children.

"A great deal of patience is required to look after the special needs of children with heart conditions. In some cases, the mothers have even had to give up their own careers, hopes and dreams so that they can attend to their child's needs full-time. No where is the love and sacrifice of a mother more evident than in their cases as they have shown great strength and resilience in facing up to the challenges in bringing up their children who require special attention" said Loh.

Along with other AIA representatives, she presented heart-shaped gold pendants to 20 mothers of paediatric heart patients. All the 20 young heart patients have earlier had their surgeries sponsored by the AIA Have-A-Heart Fund.

"We at AIA take great pride in being able to associate ourselves with these exceptional women. We decided to present these mothers with gifts to show them that their selfless acts have not gone unnoticed, and to spur them on in their daily lives. We would like to congratulate them for being an inspiration, not just to others in the same situation, but also to mothers everywhere as they are indeed proof that a mother's love can overcome any obstacles", concluded Loh.
 

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May 25, 2001
 
American International Assurance (AIA) recently paid a visit to the children of Shelter in Petaling Jaya, and contributed a personal computer, printer, fax machine and scanner to the welfare home.

AIA Senior Vice President and General Manager, Mark O' Dell led agency leaders and staff on the visit and made the presentation to Shelter Chairman, James Nayagam.

Speaking at the presentation ceremony, O' Dell said, " Community development is very much a concern to us here at AIA. Over the years, we have supported a variety of worthy causes with the aim of providing better opportunities to improve the lives of the people in the communities we serve."

"We are glad to be able to contribute items which are urgently needed by Shelter. These items will be used to facilitate its newly set up Counselling Centre to help teenagers in difficult situations, and will be instrumental in the training of volunteer counsellors and Child Care workers. Shelter hopes to be able to help over 250 boys and girls within the next two years. With these gifts, we hope AIA is able to help them achieve their noble goals," he added.

James Nayagam, Chairman of Shelter was grateful for the contributions from AIA and said, "We would like to thank AIA for their encouragement and for providing us with the tools to work with, in our teaching, and also to help other children's homes."

AIA's visit to Shelter is part of the Life Insurance Association of Malaysia's (LIAM) community service initiative. Each month, LIAM members take turns to contribute to a deserving community organisation or project.

Established in 1981, Shelter is a home for the abused, neglected and abandoned children. It operates four homes with more than 80 children and teenagers in Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya. The home's objective is to rescue and protect children from the trauma of physical and sexual abuse, extreme neglect, abandonment and witnessing of domestic violence. The safe and caring environment of the home helps them regain trust, self-worth and discipline. Shelter helps promote child welfare and prevent child abuse by providing kindergarten and tuition classes, and through community education. For further details, call 03-7955 0663.
 

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April 10 , 2001
 
The AIA Have-A-Heart Fund, a Malaysian Trust Fund established by American International Assurance (AIA) to sponsor paediatric heart surgery, has recently sponsored RM56,500 towards the cost of surgery for two young heart patients.

Ten-year-old Noor Sadatul Akma Mohd Soaeb was diagnosed with Pulmonary Atresia with Ventricular Septal Defect, a complex congenital heart disease when she was two months old. Because of her condition, she looks pale, underweight and is unable to join her siblings in any kind of physical activity. Kang Kok Siang, who is two years old was found to be suffering from Tetralogy of Fallot after his birth. He has respiratory problems and easily gets tired when he is playing. At times, his skin turns blue when he is not well. Both urgently require open heart surgery to prevent their condition from worsening.

Noor Sadatul, who has gone through two operations previously still needs to undergo total corrective heart surgery at the National Heart Institute (IJN). Kok Siang is scheduled to undergo surgery at the Penang Glenagles Medical Centre in May 2001.

The two children’s families could not afford to raise funds for the surgery as Noor Sadatul’s father works as a school guard and her mother as a factory operator, while Kok Siang’s father is a lorry driver and mother is a housewife.

Upon learning about their plight, the AIA Have-A-Heart Fund immediately stepped in to donate RM30,000 towards Noor Sadatul’s surgery and RM26,500 towards Kok Siang’s.

"The AIA Have-A-Heart is now in its 3^rd successful year in helping needy children who suffer from serious heart ailments. We are pleased that the Fund is able to give a new lease of life to these unfortunate children. So far, the AIA Have-A-Heart Fund has sponsored RM660,000 towards the cost of surgery for 38 paediatric heart patients," said Mr. O’ Dell.

The AIA Have-A-Heart Fund is a Malaysian Trust Fund established by American International Assurance Malaysia, and was launched by the Minister of Health, Dato’ Chua Jui Meng on January 22, 1998. AIA established this Fund as part of its on-going good corporate citizenship activities, with the objective of having an important impact on communities throughout Malaysia.

Approved paediatric patients who meet the sponsorship criteria become eligible to have the cost of the surgical procedure covered by the AIA Have-A-Heart Fund. Patients may have their heart surgery conducted in any AIA approved government or private hospital in Malaysia.
 

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LIAM Brings Joy to Old Folk

February 28, 2001
 
In conjunction with the 11th Life Insurance Day, the Life Insurance Association of Malaysia (LIAM) held its annual charity event on
19 Jan 2001. Representatives from AIA, OAC Insurance and Malaysian Assurance Alliance (MAA) hosted a tea party for the elderly residents of Silver Jubilee Home in Penang. Penang AIA Branch Manager, Grace Chee and the team presented RM2,000 worth of items, including a 29" Television set and printer cartridges to the home. Contributions in kind were also distributed to 21 other charitable and welfare homes around the country. LIAM has been organizing this annual charity event since 1991. The aim is to promote greater involvement of all the member companies in social welfare activities and to help the underprivileged.
 

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Bringing cheer to kids

KUALA LUMPUR - February 21, 2001
 
AIA donates essential items to Tasputra Perkim
As part of its extensive community programme, American Insurance Assurance (AIA) recently donated RM3,000 worth of essential items to Tasputra Perkim, a day-care centre for the physically and mentally handicapped children.

AIA Malaysia Senior Vice-President and General Manager, Mark O'Dell donated a television set and food items to the centre.

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Towards A Caring Society - Life Insurance Day

KUCHING - January 19, 1997.
 
The Kuching branch of AIA was once again entrusted by LIAM to coordinate activities in Sarawak to mark the 7th Life Insurance Day. The organizing committee decided to visit a home for the elderly, Rumah Seri Kenangan, and a boys' home, Sekolah Tunas Bakti, in Kota Samarahan.

The visiting delegation comprised representatives from other life insurance companies. Rumah Seri Kenangan and Sekolah Tunas Bakti were presented with essential items such as blankets while inmates received foodstuff. The delegation also visited the hospital and sick bay at Rumah Seri Kenangan.

The visits received wide coverage in local newspapers.
 

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AIA's Community Service Project

KUALA LUMPUR - August 20, 1996.
 
American International Assurance Company, Ltd. today made a donation to the Convent Bukit Nanas Primary and Secondary Schools. The presentation was made to the Chairman of the Parent-Teacher Association of Convent Bukit Nanas Secondary School.

Every year, AIA sets aside funds for the purpose of assisting Malaysia in its nation-building efforts.
 

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AIA Donates to SRB Chung Hua

KUCHING - June 21,1996.
 
American International Assurance Company, Ltd. today made a donation to Sekolah Rendah Bantuan (SRB) Chung Hua Mile 4. The money is AIA's contribution towards SRK Chung Hua's building fund for the reconstruction of the school buildings which were razed to the ground in a fire on December 4, 1995.

According to a representative of AIA, it is AIA's social responsibility to give assistance to schools that are in need of funds to carry out their projects. Schools which are in dire need of funds for basic necessities will also benefit from this program.
 

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AIA Donates to SRJK (C) Kong Min Cawangan Satu

PENANG - June 22, 1996.
 
American International Assurance Company, Ltd. today made a donation to SRJK (C) Kong Min Cawangan Satu in Air Itam, Penang.

According to Mr. Choo Chye Oo, a Senior Agency Manager of AIA, the school was selected to receive the money under the AIA School Education Welfare Foundation. Schools are selected based on their financial need and situation. In the case of SRJK (C) Kong Min Cawangan Satu, several of their students are from low-income families, and require financial support. The money will be fully utilized for the benefit of the school and its students. The school was also damaged in a recent landslide, and this has caused the relocation of students to another school.
 

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