Rotary Club JB welcomes new president

Graced by Tunku Panglima Johor, Tunku Abdul Rahman Ibni Sultan Ibrahim, who represented the club’s patron, Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar, the installation of Datuk Teo Shiok Fu as the 66^th President of the Rotary Club of Johor Baru (RCJB) on July 1, was a special event held on a significant date read as 1.7.17, the start of the Rotary year for 2017 – 2018 worldwide. 

RCJB installed Datuk Teo Shiok Fu [10th from Left] as
the club's 66th president for the Rotary year 2017 - 2018

Chartered in 1952, the RCJB is the oldest and largest club in the District, with 64 club members.  It is a non-profit volunteer service organisation which runs social and community projects, primarily funded by public donations.

Service to the community is one of Rotary’s core values and the theme of Rotary Clubs worldwide is “Rotary: Making a Difference.”

In a simple ceremony, the immediate past president, Lee Soo Tong, handed over the club’s presidential jewel to Teo to install him as the club president for 2017 to 2018.

In his presidential message, Teo said that while the club will continue with its two signature community projects – the Rotary Haemodialysis Centre and the Palliative Care Association of Johor Baru – this year it will also carry out various community projects for the needy and underprivileged with a focus on children’s welfare and education. 

Immediate past president, Lee Soo Tong [Right]
presenting the club's presidential jewel to
Datuk Teo Shiok Fu in a simple ceremony

Teo, a businessman, said that the club aims to create awareness of the social issues in our community through these meaningful projects and encourage others to help by participating with them.

He outlined the club’s community projects that will start this July with the installation of a water filter pump system at a Tamil school in Kelapa Sawit. The school, which has 160 students, will benefit with clean drinking water and will also receive whiteboards for their classrooms.

To celebrate National Day this August, the club will invite some 30 children with their care-givers from two orphanages to enjoy an outing to Legoland Malaysia Resort. The children, aged between six and 14, will have a theme-park experience with lunch in a half-day outing.

“The youth is our future and it is important to guide them well,” said Teo as the club sponsors Interact Clubs in six secondary schools in JB. He said a career fair is being planned later this year to provide career guidance to students.

Datuk Teo Shiok Fu presenting his presidential message

The club also aims to organise an environment protection project with the community in the latter part of the Rotary year in 2018.

This year, the club will mark its 10^th annual visit to the Sobbhana Women’s Foundation in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. From Nov 23 to 25, the club will conduct a Dental Camp with the Cambodian Dental Association to provide free dental checks and treatments for up to 200 children who have no access to dental treatment and are often not aware of proper dental care.

Finally, Teo announced that a charity walkathon is being planned for Sept 30, starting from Dataran Bandaraya Johor Baru, to raise RM500,000 in support of the club’s two signature projects.

For more than 25 years, the Rotary Haemodialysis Centre has been providing highly subsidized treatments for needy patients here. Its current premises at a 4-storey building at Jalan Tun Abdul Razak, continues to meet patients’ increasing need of affordable dialysis treatments.

Main sponsor of OCBC-RCJB Charity Walkathon
presenting cheque to RCJB, witnessed by Tunku Panglima
Johor, Tunku Abdul Rahman Ibni Sultan Ibrahim [Center]

The team at the Palliative Care Association of Johor Baru is providing medical support to terminally ill patients and their families through regular home visits. In addition to practical and medical advice, it also provides the loan of homecare equipment Free-of-Charge to needy patients.

To kick off the fund-raising for these meaningful projects, OCBC Bank Malaysia donated the generous sum of RM50,000 as the main sponsor of the OCBC-RCJB Charity Walkathon. More information will be shared closer to the event date for the public to participate with the club in this worthwhile fund-raising effort.

In closing, Teo reiterated that he and his club members, with their diverse vocations and skill sets, will work together in the club’s projects aimed at “Making a Difference” in our community.