UMW TOYOTA MOTOR CREATING SOCIAL IMPACT
For every family, festivals are a time for joy, togetherness and celebration. Children and adults alike gather for feasting and laughter, putting aside school and work to spend time with loved ones to keep family ties aflame.
While most families are celebrating however, it is just another day for children in welfare homes. Some are orphans and have no place to call home, while others are from broken homes or single parent families. Although most welfare homes take care of their charges well in terms of their basic needs in the form of food, shelter and education, they find it difficult to fulfill the emotional void of the children, especially during festive seasons.
With this in mind, UMW Toyota Motor has been organizing special events for children in welfare homes during festive seasons since 2002 as part of their social contribution to the less fortunate. Over the years, the festive celebrations have become a much-anticipated event not only among homes but also for staff volunteers.
The main idea of holding festive celebrations for underprivileged children was to bring them a little bit of festive cheer and remind them that someone still cares. The children’s faces would light up with joy when they attend the event, all dressed up and excited.
Many of the things most children take for granted do not come easily to these children, such as having a good meal, new school uniforms, books, bags and stationeries and festive clothes. Hence UMW Toyota Motor staff tries to provide them with these basic necessities and the love and attention. These simple gifts alone usually bring a lot of joy to the receiving children.
This year, the staff organized three festive charitable events to share the cheer. A Chinese New Year celebration was held with the children from Rumah Kids, Subang Jaya on 9 February 2011, Hari Raya Puasa which was celebrated in Jeli, Kelantan, while D eepavali celebration was recently held on 3 November 2011 at Pusat Jagaan Ambe Sivam, Taman Sri Andalas, Klang.
One unexpected outcome of these celebrations was the staff volunteers’ reaction to them. Despite having to take time out of their busy schedule to participate in these events, many staff members willingly volunteered their time and network to make each event a success.
Over the year, some of the staff volunteers have even requested to bring their children along whenever such events were held, because they want to expose their children to community service. This had added value to the events, by inspiring the staff to instill the spirit of giving back to society, more so when it involves the younger generation.
Considering the high level of interest, plans are also underway to organize more events that can get the personnel more involved in community projects. The general observation is that such activities are not only good for team-building but also help to heighten awareness of community development.
The underlying message is that the disparity between the haves and have-nots can be reduced if we all share our excesses. Big corporations have a role to play in driving initiatives like this and the folks at UMW Toyota are happy to be able to lend a helping hand to those who need it.
ABOUT UMW TOYOTA MOTOR SDN. BHD.
UMW Toyota Motor is a joint venture between UMW Corporation Sdn Bhd and Toyota Motor Corporation Japan and Toyota Tsusho Corporation Japan.
UMW Toyota Motor subsidiaries are Assembly Services Sdn. Bhd. (ASSB), Toyota Boshoku UMW Sdn. Bhd. and Automotive Industries Sdn. Bhd. (AISB) while UMW Toyota Motor associates companies are KYB-UMW Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., KYB-UMW Steering Sdn. Bhd. and JTEKT Automotive (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. The company is the exclusive distributor of Toyota and Lexus models in Malaysia. UMW Toyota Motor has established an extensive network of 90 sales and after sales outlets including dealers, throughout the nation.
Under the company’s theme of “One Team - Customer First”, UMW Toyota Motor puts high priority and attention to customers’ needs and demands. Toyota’s philosophy of improving the quality of life and contributing to the society where they operate their business is exemplified through innovative products and services, building and maintaining sound relationships with customers; business partners and employees, the preservation of the environment and honouring the language, law and culture of the society they live in.
