JOHOR BAHRU – Recently a Ping For Hope charity golf tournament was held at Ponderosa Golf & Country Resort (PGCR) and a total of RM120,610 was raised for the benefit of the Kiwanis Down Syndrome Foundation Johor Bahru centre.

The event was co-organized between the Young and Dangerous (YnD) golf group and Ponderosa Golf who have been holding yearly charity golf events in aid of different sections of the local community.

Organising chairman for Ping For Hope 2023 Dominic Foo said that this year’s focus is on kids who need more care and attention, and the Kiwanis Down Syndrome Foundation (KDSF) aligns perfectly with its mission.

“Our goal is not only to raise funds for the foundation, but also to create awareness, and provide additional channels for people to donate,” Dominic said.

He said a charity like this is very important for the participants, as they are able to help create awareness on the issues Down Syndrome children face.

Some 108 participants pit their skills on the 18-hole golf course braving dark skies, erratic rain and wind conditions.

According to the organizer the funds were generated through participation fee, donations as well as sponsorship of prizes from well-meaning donors and suppliers.

Kiwanis Down Syndrome Foundation Johor Bahru centre chairman Jeffrey Kok is extremely grateful to the YnD Golf Group for being its fundraiser.

“You have secured the future of Down Syndrome Children in our centre and to ensure that the centre can continue to operate,” he said.

He added that this charity event was definitely a cheerful boost for the centre’s children.

KDSF was set up in 1991 and operates from a double-storey bungalow house. The centre has more than 30 students and five teachers.

KDSF’s primary focus is providing critical early intervention programmes for children with Down Syndrome from two months to six years old.

Its main objectives is to prepare the children so that they are ready for the special education in typical government schools.

Students attending the programme in KDSF JB centre pay a heavily subsidized fees which is not sufficient to sustain the operations of the centre.

KDSF JB depends solely on public donations and the support by the Kiwanis Club of Johor Bahru.

This is the third charity golf collaboration between YnD and Ponderosa, having previously played to raise funds in aid of the Breast Cancer Foundation and also for the Dialysis Centre of the Rotary Club of Kulai.

The YnD golf group was formed in 2016 by a group of like-minded young golfers who got-together for lifelong relationships in pursuit of the sport they love, and who jointly aspire to inspire youths of today to build better futures for themselves through love and empathy towards others in the community.

Over the years, PGCR has been committed in giving back to its community especially during critical times.

During the peak Covid-19 pandemic period, and from April 2020 to September 2021, PGCR has contributed in total 53,070 daily food packs to Food Banks serving the homeless as well as to families home quarantined in housing flats due to the spread, medical and safety frontliners from hospitals, Malaysian Red Crescent Society and Bomba on duty at Vaccine and Covid centres.

More recently during the Ramadan period, PGCR embarked on a month-long “Blanket of Love” campaign.

The campaign was to get well-meaning guests to donate cash as well to buy rolls of cloth to make patchwork blankets to be gifted to orphaned and single-parent children living in remote Kluang and Simpang Renggam.

PGCR also sponsored their transport to Ponderosa for a half-day outing with outdoor tele-matches and a sumptuous lunch.