Education and Charity Going Hand in Hand

FIFTEEN schools in Penang and Kulim reaped the benefits of becoming part of the Intel Volunteer Matching Grant Programme when they received a cheque amounting to about RM75,000 last month.

The programme, which has served Intel communities in the United States since 1993, encourages Intel employees to volunteer in schools and rewards the schools with a donation based on the amount of time employees volunteer.

In Malaysia, a total of 1,136 Intel volunteers logged 5,860 hours to take part in a wide range of activities and undertakings, all designed to improve the public schools in Penang and Kulim and their surrounding areas.

“The programme encourages Intel Malaysia employees to be involved in education. Having our talented, smart employees work directly with children is a great way to communicate the importance of education. It also gives us a platform to personalise how science, maths and technology are important and cool,” said K.C. Yoon, managing director, Intel Malaysia.

The employees volunteered in many different ways. In addition to classroom work, some schools offered opportunities for involvement on evenings and weekends. These included events such as beautifying the school compound, painting classrooms, class excursions and science camps.

The volunteers also took part in technology advisory committees, local school committees and school site-based management councils.

The Intel programme is unique in that the money generated by the programme are directly related to the number of hours that Intel employees volunteer at schools. Once one or more Intel employees have volunteered 20 hours at a single school, the school receives a cash donation from the Intel Foundation, Intel’s philanthropic arm. The donation amount is based on the total number of Intel employee volunteer hours accumulated during the academic year.

“The programme is a win-win situation for Intel as well as for the participating schools. The students’ lives are enriched from the direct interaction with Intel volunteers, and the cash reward to schools can assist in the building of a new science laboratory or library, or improve the schools’ infrastructure,” Yoon emphasised.

But Intel Malaysia is not alone in this programme. It received assistance from the Malaysian Red Crescent Society in terms of administration, for example, help in distributing the cash donations directly to the schools involved.

At the event, Intel also recognised the top volunteers of the programme in the various categories, including best departments, most dedicated volunteers, most dedicated management and best volunteer programme category.

Around the world, the Intel Volunteer Matching Grant Programme has raised almost US$10 million (RM35 million) for schools over the past 10 years. During this time, Intel employees have volunteered over 1.2 million hours in classrooms, reading with first graders, explaining algebra equations, and providing real-world examples of an engineer’s daily tasks, all in an effort to demonstrate to children that their education and well- being matter to adults in their communities.

(c) 2007 New Straits Times. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.