Maxis makes wishes of Bukit Harapan residents come true this Christmas

• Maxis Volunteers from Kota Kinabalu and Kuala Lumpur offices refurbish amenities at Bukit Harapan home
• Volunteers also played Secret Santa and made the residents’ dreams come true with gifts from their wishlist
• M Squad, Maxis’ internal volunteerism programme, provides employees with opportunities to take part in activities and initiatives to give back to the community

In the spirit of Christmas giving and sharing, Maxis made the wishes of Bukit Harapan residents come true. Maxis volunteers, M Squad, from Maxis’ Kota Kinabalu and Kuala Lumpur offices, were on a mission to bring festive cheer to the home in Menggatal, Sabah, in conjunction with the Christmas season.

The day began bright and early with M Squad volunteers sprucing up the home of more than 60 residents, by refurbishing amenities which had been in disrepair.

Then came the exciting part which the residents had been waiting for – opening their Christmas presents! A wishlist of their desired gifts had been shared with Maxis employees prior to the day. In ‘Secret Santa’ fashion, Maxis employees had pledged to contribute the gifts and the M Squad volunteers delivered them right to Bukit Harapan’s doorstep. The room lit up with the smiles of the residents as they unwrapped their presents, such as clothing, shoes, bed sheets and even calculators.

“Christmas has always been a season of giving, so our volunteers wanted to do something extra special for the residents at Bukit Harapan by granting exactly what they wished for. We were thrilled to be at the home to spread cheer and joy to the residents and staff. I would like to thank everyone at Bukit Harapan, especially Ms Audra Keyworth, the administrator, for warmly welcoming us into the home and for giving our Maxis volunteers the opportunity to celebrate the festive season with them. We hope that our small contribution will go a long way,” said Tan Lay Han, Maxis’ Chief Sales and Service Officer.

“It was a pleasure to have Maxis at our home. The volunteers definitely brought cheer to the kids from the smiles and laughter shared. This is not the first time Maxis has contributed to our home and I would like to thank them, especially the M Squad volunteers, for spreading the Christmas spirit with us,” said Audra Keyworth, Administrator of Bukit Harapan.

During the one-day event, residents also entertained everyone with a medley of Christmas carols before enjoying a scrumptious Christmas lunch.

M Squad is Maxis’ employee volunteer programme that provides employees with opportunities to take part in outreach activities and initiatives that they care about, and to give back to the community.

Bukit Harapan is a publicly-funded shelter home and rehabilitation centre for orphans, differently abled individuals and women who were victims of abuse. It began operations on 9 January 1989 at its first home in Keningau and has since grown in numbers, and moved to its current premises in Menggatal in 2007.