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| The visitors at the book-binding department with Jaro's General Manager, Annie Thomas [2nd from Right] |
A group of General Managers form the
Hilton Worldwide group shed their smart suits to take part in a Corporate
Social Responsibility (CSR) activity at Johor Area Rehabilitation Organisation
(JARO) recently.
Seventeen GMs from
Hilton and Conrad properties in South East Asia who were in Johor Baru for
their General Managers Leadership Meeting joined DoubleTree by Hilton JB
General Manager, Simon McGrath, to exercise their CSR here. They picked JARO, a registered charity that
was founded by Dr Beryl Wilberforce-Smith in 1952 to rehabilitate former TB patients which is now a
sheltered workshop that trains and empowers the physically disabled in various
handicraft skills to equip them for employment.
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| Datin Patricia Lim [Right] introduces the visitors to the tailoring department |
Jaro has evolved into an established
rehabilitation center for the needs of the physically and intellectually
disabled, spastics, visual
or hearing impaired, chronically ill and
those who for personal reasons have difficulty in getting regular employment.
Many disabled employees have benefited from the opportunities provided
in the bookbinding, basketry, tailoring and handicraft departments while some
who are trained, have found employment elsewhere. Jaro is now an established brand and household name among Johoreans and
expatriates who appreciate Jaro’s classic products created in rattan, paper and fabrics.
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| Annie Thomas [3rd from Left] leads the tour in the basketry department |
After a brief
introduction to Jaro by Chairman Dato’ Jimmy Low Boon Hong and members of the Jaro committee, the
visitors were divided into three groups and taken on a tour of the Jaro workshop.
In the tailoring department, Committee Member
Datin Patricia Lim explained how disabled artisans are trained to sew and
create useful fashion and household products like shopping and toiletries bags from
Malaysian batik fabric. She said that
one of the popular products are the sets of batu
seremban, a traditional game of five stones, that Jaro makes with batik
fabric and are hand-sewn after being filled with green beans.
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| The visitors painting the outside wall of the book binding department |
Meanwhile, the other
two groups of visitors were escorted around the workshop to observe the disabled
artisans who are working in the basketry department and the book-binding
department. They saw for themselves how
the artisans were engaged in creating quality products for sale in the
showroom. In the book-binding
department, notebooks in A4 and A6 sizes are made from paper produced from
farmed trees and memo paper are created from excess cuts of recycled paper while
the cotton fabric covers may be custom-embossed to the customer’s requirement.
Prior to his
colleagues’ arrival for their SEA General Managers Leadership Meeting in JB,
McGrath, who was hosting them at DoubleTree by Hilton JB, had selected cotton
fabric photo frames made by Jaro and placed an order for them to be
custom-embossed with the DoubleTree by Hilton JB logo and the visiting GM’s
name. He wanted each visitor to take
home a valuable memento of their experience in JB and felt that a handicraft
made by Jaro would be an ideal souvenir.
This memento was made even more meaningful when the GMs had photos of
themselves dressed in Malay costumes, framed up beautifully in the Jaro photo
frame!
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| Quality Jaro products custom-embossed as a meaningful souvenir for their event |
At the end of their
tour of the Jaro sheltered workshop, the visitors could better appreciate the
fact that buying Jaro heritage products will not only help support the
aesthetics and traditions of local cultures and native crafts but also enhance
the dignity and independence of the disabled.
Shopping in Jaro also helps to sustain the sheltered workshops for the
disabled artisans and will add value to the local community’s eco and heritage
interests. They saw for themselves how the quality handmade products are a pride to possess and a joy to
present to others as gifts and souvenirs.
After
the workshop tour, the visitors went outside and donned gloves, hats and even
aprons before arming themselves with roller brushes for their CSR activity and helped
to paint the walls downstairs, outside the book-binding department.
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| There is no wall too high to be painted in Jaro! |
Dressed in solid black T-shirts with the DoubleTree by Hilton CARE Culture theme,
“WE CARE” emblazoned in white capitals on their backs, the visitors tackled their
painting job with a spirit of camaraderie and enthusiasm. With all hands employed to paint the walls a
burgundy shade, they made short work of the job even as they paid careful
attention to ensure that the dark edges did not stain the white frames of the
doors and windows.
“We believe that it is the little things
we do that create the biggest impact and impression,” said McGrath as this CSR
activity was in line with Hilton Worldwide’s vision of ‘filling the earth with
the light and warmth of hospitality,’ in the DoubleTree by Hilton CARE Culture. He was pleased with the successful completion
of their first CSR activity with Jaro and looked forward to a continued
partnership where DoubleTree by Hilton JB may support the efforts of Jaro for
the empowerment of the disabled community in JB.
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| Jaro General Manager, Annie Thomas [Seated Right] with the General Managers from the Hilton Worldwide Group after their CSR event at Jaro |
A version of this article was published in The New Straits Times, Streets Johor on 13 Oct 2014
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