HELPING HAND: UCSI Group founder and chairman Dato’ Peter Ng (middle) launching the UCSI Education Fund 2015 for Flood-affected Families together with UCSI Institute of Music director Professor Dr P’ng Tean Hwa (second from left) and Senior Director of t

FOR A GOOD CAUSE: 8TV Ultimate Song Competition 2013 (Best Performance Award) winner and UCSI alumna Quek Shio Yee performing at the charity concert.

KUALA LUMPUR: In line with efforts by the Ministry of Education (MoE) to reach out to those affected by the recent floods, UCSI University organised an exclusive charity concert on Jan 22, 2015 on campus grounds. 

The concert saw nine outstanding performances – from jazz to rock music – by students and alumni from UCSI’s Institute of Music (IoM). 

Renowned local artistes – like Astro Star Quest 2014 second runner-up Elaine Lee; Astro Star Quest 2013 second runner-up Justin Ng; Astro Star Quest 2000 champion Winnie Ho; Malaysian jazz piano trio – namely, Toro Cheng Trio; Malaysian bands Dotters' Division and Drumline; Asia Music Competition (South Korea) 2014 and Asia Music Competition (Taiwan) 2013 gold award pianist Maxy Chan Mei Xuan; and 8TV Ultimate Song Competition 2013 (Best Performance Award) winner Quek Shio Yee, among others – also performed at the concert. 

Lee and Quek are UCSI alumni while Ng and Chan are students from the IoM. 

Themed, “Together We Care”, the event also witnessed the launch of the UCSI Education Fund 2015 for Flood-affected Families; the total amount pledged by UCSI University Trust – UCSI’s scholarship arm – was RM700,000. 

Notably, the Fund provides educational assistance – up to full tuition fee waiver for the entire duration of study for most programmes at UCSI – to flood-affected families in Terengganu and Kelantan who wish to pursue tertiary education at the University. 

The launch was officiated by UCSI University founder and UCSI Group chairman Datuk Peter Ng, who praised the UCSI community for their commitment in making the concert possible. 

"I want to commend the students, alumni and staff for the extraordinary work they've done to make tonight's concert possible. Giving back to the community has always been one of UCSI's biggest priorities. Tonight's concert exemplifies our resolve and I'm confident that the money raised will go far in helping the flood victims.” 

"I also want to thank the Ministry of Education for taking the lead in coordinating relief efforts with private education providers. All of us need to chip in at such a time and UCSI is more than happy to do its part," he added. 

Prior to the concert, UCSI students and staff also contributed to the cause in various ways, one of which included organising fundraising events in the form of a food fair and haunted house. 

While student clubs and associations at UCSI also donated a portion of their event revenue to the cause, the Student Affairs and Alumni division joined efforts with Kelab Proton Perdana and Jabatan Tanah Banting to donate essential items to those in Gua Musang and Dabong Kuala Krai, two areas badly affected by the floods. 

To date, UCSI has raised RM30,000 through the sales of concert tickets, donations from sponsors and student events. It is worthy to note that students from the University’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences alone raised almost one-third of that amount. 

Apart from collecting donations to buy essential items like water jets, cleaning tools, 50 boxes of drinking water, fruits and instant noodles, student volunteers also headed to flood-affected areas to help out. 

Almost 65 students – segregated into two separate teams – visited Jerantut, Pahang and Kg Paya Dalam, Temerloh to distribute food and beverages to flood victims there. The volunteer team in Temerloh also saw to the clean-up of 35 houses. 

To find out more about the UCSI Education Fund 2015 for Flood-affected Families, please visit http://www.ucsiuniversitytrust.com/.