By Vincent D’Silva

JOHOR BAHRU: As Christmas lights begin to shimmer across the city and the season’s spirit gently settles into the hearts of many, the Rotary Club of Johor Bahru (RCJB) is preparing a celebration rooted in compassion, joy, and community.

This year, the club’s Christmas Giving Project brought warmth and wonder to 45 children aged between two to seventeen years from Anne Home and Esther Home — two shelters caring for orphans and children from single-parent families. There are 19 boys and 26 girls living at the home.

For RCJB, the festive season is not merely a date on the calendar, but an invitation to uplift young lives often overlooked. “Christmas is about love, hope, and togetherness.

“We want these children to feel seen, remembered, and cherished,” said Fiona Gan, RCJB’s Community Service Chairperson. “This project isn’t just about gifts — it’s about giving them moments they can hold onto.”

The event, which brings together Interact Club students, Rotaractors, and Rotarians, is brimming with youthful energy and heartfelt generosity.

“Our Interactors and Rotaractors insisted on being involved. They want to play, sing, and be present with the children — and that means everything,” Gan shared, her voice brimming with pride.

The decision to support Anne Home and Esther Home was a deliberate one. Gan explained that these two homes carry a quiet resilience, nurturing children who have faced adversity far earlier than most.

“These young ones need a little more joy, a little more brightness. Choosing these homes felt natural because we wanted our efforts to reach children who truly need an extra dose of Christmas magic,” she stressed.

True to the season’s spirit, RCJB’s volunteers arrived bearing groceries, festive gifts, and cash contributions, hoping to ease the homes’ daily burdens while brightening the children’s Christmas morning.

Each present has been thoughtfully prepared — wrapped with the intention of sending a message: you matter.

“A gift may be small, but the happiness it sparks can be huge,” Gan said. “Seeing a child smile — that’s the real reward for us.”

She went on to say that when a child smiles on Christmas because of something we did, that moment becomes our gift. That’s the real magic we’re here to create.

“We’re not just bringing gifts — we’re bringing the message that these children matter, that they are loved, and that they belong to a community that refuses to forget them,” she said.

The celebration promises to be lively and heartwarming. Convent Interactors and Rotaractors have lined up games to fill the afternoon with laughter, while the event’s musical highlight will bring carols echoing through the halls.

“Yes, we’ll definitely be singing Christmas carols!” Fiona laughed. “PDG John Cheah played the harmonica, and together with our Rotarians, Rotaractors, and Interactors, the home was filled with music and Christmas cheer.”

Earlier in the day, Rotaractors from Johor Bahru and Interactors from Convent Johor Bahru brought warmth and laughter to the home, engaging the children with lively games and easy conversation that quickly dissolved any sense of distance. The atmosphere grew even more festive when the Rotaractors took to singing, offering heartfelt renditions of We Are the Reason, Gloria in Excelsis Deo and Feliz Navidad.

The children responded with unrestrained delight—hands clapping in rhythm, faces lifted in bright attention as the music filled the room—turning the gathering into a shared celebration of joy and belonging.

Speaking to ApaKhabar TV, Rotaract Club of Johor Bahru president Iris Ang Hui Hua said the visit carried deep personal meaning. “It is such a joy to be here and spend time with the children,” she said. “Moments like this allow us to share love and bring the true spirit of Christmas to life.”

It is a programme built not on formality but on feeling — a day where songs, games, and togetherness become a gift more enduring than anything under a tree. The presence of a clown lit up the hall, drawing peals of laughter and brightening the children’s faces with pure delight.

As the preparation continues, Gan remains focused on the impact this event hopes to leave behind. “When the lights dim after Christmas, we want these children to remember that there are people out there who care deeply for them. That they are valued, loved, and part of a wider family,” she said.

For many children, Christmas can often pass quietly, unnoticed. But this year, through RCJB’s Christmas Giving Project, 45 young hearts will hear carols sung just for them, unwrap gifts chosen with care, and feel a community embracing them with warmth.

And perhaps, in the soft glow of the festive lights, they’ll discover what Gan and her team hope most of all — that joy, when shared, becomes a memory that lasts far beyond the season.

Present for the occasion were RCJB president Chin Kuie Too, Rotarians Teoh Cheng Siang, Gan Chin Soon and Joe Pua Ze Sheng. Friends and volunteers turned up in good numbers this morning, their presence adding warmth and cheer to the occasion.