Calling for IMSHA nominees!

The second edition of the Iskandar Malaysia Social Hero Awards (IMSHA) was recently launched by Iskandar Regional Development Authority Chief Executive, Prof Datuk Ismail Ibrahim.

IRDA Chief Executive, Prof Datuk Ismail Ibrahim [2nd
from Right] launching the second edition of IMSHA

The inaugural IMSHA event last year drew great interest from the community and more than 170 nominations.  It is now regarded as the premier community service award in the Iskandar Malaysia region to celebrate the unsung heroes in our community for their inspirational contributions for the benefit of the underprivileged.

The IMSHA aims to identify, recognise and celebrate individuals, organisations and social movements which have made a significant contribution to society through impactful and meaningful community service.  It also aims to raise awareness of the need for everyone to share the responsibility in working towards a more inclusive, compassionate and effective society.

Nominees, both individual and organisations, will be awarded in 12 categories including, Arts & Culture, Animal & Wildlife, Disaster Relief, Public Safety, Education Advancement, Environmental Preservation & Protection, Health Services, Human Empowerment, Poverty & Hunger Relief, Company Corporate Social Responsibility, Social Innovators and individual awards for Active Duty & Veteran Services.

The nominations received will be analysed and rated against a Social Impact Rating system by Frost & Sullivan, an independent technical committee.  Then a Leadership Council, comprising prominent local citizens, will review the results for the final verdict.  Winners will be invited to attend the IMSHA 2015 Awards Gala Banquet in September where they will receive their awards from IMSHA patron and the fifth Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

“I want to stress that it is not just about winning a prize or getting a recognition,” said Datuk Ismail who went on to elaborate how IRDA and its partners will help to propel the winners to the next level of community service.  Over the next 12 months after receiving their awards, the social heroes will attend a series of workshops to help the organisations or individuals learn how to operate more systematically and efficiently.  He said these initiatives were also open to others who are also keen to learn how they can do more for the community.

The IMSHA event is organized by the Iskandar Malaysia Sustainable Committee Network (IMSC), an informal network of local people who are in pursuit of enhancing social capital value in Iskandar Malaysia.  Chaired by Mrs Thanam Visvanathan Suresh, the IMSHA committee is made up of representatives on a voluntary basis from public, private and community sectors.

The committee works together at encouraging individuals, organisations, associations and companies to innovate and address new and existing social challenges.  The selection criteria includes an analysis on the social impact, project frequency, visibility, sustainability, scalability, inclusiveness as well as the ethics and fund sources.  They believe that IMSHA social heroes and nominees will inspire others to take up social work with similar passion, sacrifice, sincerity, generosity and energy in community service.

Members of the public are invited to nominate suitable candidates for one or more of the 12 categories across a range of social services in Iskandar Malaysia.  Nominations may be submitted online through The Iskandarian’s website on www.theiskandarian.com/web/imsha.  More information on IMSHA is available on www.facebook.com/socialheroawards.  Submission of nominations close at midnight on 10 July 2015.

A version of this was published in The Malaysian Insider on 5 June 2015