The St Patrick’s Society of Selangor has been around since colonial times. Starting out in 1925 at the Royal Selangor Club, this non-profit organisation dedicated to promoting the social life and community of Irish people in Malaysia has been active ever since, and continuously strives to do its part for charity.

“We organise social and cultural events throughout the year where we have donations that go to designated charities, but the main ones are the St Patrick’s Ball in March, the Charity Night in May, and the Angel Coffee Morning in December,” says Vice-President Sarah Wheeler-Tan.

The event with a charity-only focus is quite clearly the annual Charity Night, where funds are raised for a charity that has been nominated before the event. “This year we are working with Hope Worldwide, an organisation in Sentul that runs a free clinic and also dispenses medication free of charge,” explains Sarah. “And It goes beyond the consultation. There are some patients who are diabetic or asthmatic who can afford to see a doctor, but can’t afford the constant medication needed. That’s where Hope Worldwide comes in.”

Although the effort finances some sombre issues, the Charity Night itself (slated for 3 May 2014) is one of fun and revelry. Live and silent auctions are carried out, along with raffle draw prizes and a lucky dip. “There are also the races, which is very Irish,” says Sarah. “We remove the names of horses and trainers, then everyone bets on a horse. People pay for dinner, get involved – it’s all very fun!”

Citing the kindness of attendees as a pivotal part of their event, Sarah is quick to point out the big hearts of those involved: “We are very fortunate to have such generous people supporting us. One in particular, Carol Wolfson, has donated many things from antiques to carpets to ensure there are quality goods going up for auction. We also get donations like holidays and hotel deals.”

And, what support they receive. “Last year we made RM160,000 from the Charity Night alone, with 100 people attending,” says Sarah with pride. “In 2013, we donated more than RM300,000 to charities across Malaysia.”

To ensure that the money collected doesn’t get “lost in the wilderness”, all the charities nominated are vetted and checked out by the members. “They have to be registered charities,” stresses Sarah. “Most of our members have links to these charities, and almost always somebody in the committee knows the charity or has worked with them before.”

For a volunteer-based, 19-member committee, this amounts to an awful lot of work. “We have been working with charities for the past 15 years now,” says Sarah. “We always have receipts so that we are accountable, and know exactly where our money goes.”

Besides the annual Charity Night, the Angel Coffee Mornings at the Irish ambassador’s residence is another big event in the society’s calendar. “We usually work with children’s charities and the people who attend buy presents for these kids,” explains Sarah. “We go to the home, find out what the kids would like, and then attendees pick out a child’s ‘wishlist’ and buy the presents for them.”

On top of the designated charities chosen as recipients for various events, the St Patricks Society works with about 10 charities on a yearly basis. These include Assunta Hospice, Home of Peace, Kiwanis, National Cancer Society of Malaysia, PAWS, SPCA, Women’s Aid Organisation, and the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

“We’re lucky to have a long-standing relationship with some of these charities,” Sarah says. “For example, we work with Kiwanis, where for just RM350, you can provide breakfast every day for a year for a kid who lives in a rubber tree plantation. They get a nasi lemak pack or a mee hoon pack and a drink, which is fantastic.”

With only about 200 members, the St Patricks Society is a small but active lot, who are eager to lend a helping hand. “Everything is done from the goodness of your heart,” says Sarah. “We also use our links to help others. When the Philippines were hit by [Typhoon] Haiyan, our society members used our links to get contacts in the Philippines itself so they could help out. The work we do is not confined to our organisation.”

Unsurprisingly, Sarah has nothing but praise for her compatriots, both in and outside of the St Patrick’s Society: “Many local Malaysian charities are also doing an amazing job, and it’s great for us to be able to support them. So many people take time to work with various charities, and that in itself is fantastic. After working so hard, it’s nice to hand over money to people who really need it.”

If you would like to learn more about the St Patrick’s Society’s charitable events, visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/groups/stpatsoc.

Source: The Expat Magazine April 2014

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