《呷饱未》UTAR Charity Luncheon and Talk raise funds for UTAR Hospital

From left: Prof Dato’ Ewe, Venerable Chi Chern, Master Yap Hong Ngee, Ms Sinje Lee and Prof Lau

《呷饱未》 The UTAR Charity Luncheon and Talk, organised by UTAR for the purpose of raising funds for UTAR Hospital concluded successfully on 12 February 2023 at Avanté Hotel, Petaling Jaya. The event, which received great support from the public, successfully raised RM660,000 for the hospital.

Venerable Chi Chern, Ms Sinje Lee and Master Yap Hong Ngee were invited to the luncheon as guest speakers. They are benevolent donors who auctioned their calligraphy paintings to raise funds for the hospital.  

Prof Dato’ Ewe (sixth from left) with the guests

Also present at the event were Venerable Tong Ming, YBBM Yayasan Belia Buddhist Malaysia (YBBM) Chairman Dato’ Ang Choo Hong, Kuen Cheng High School Principal Datin Dr Chua Lee Lee, UTAR President Ir Prof Dato’ Dr Ewe Hong Tat, UTAR Hospital CEO and Medical Director Prof Dr Lau Hui Ping, UTAR Vice President for Student Development and Alumni Relations Prof Dr Choong Chee Keong, UTAR Hospital Deputy CEO Ms Maria Khong and many more.

Prof Dato’ Ewe thanking all donors, people and the community for the trust and support given to the Hospital

UTAR President Ir Prof Dato’ Dr Ewe Hong Tat, in his opening speech, thanked all donors as well as the people and the community for the trust and support given to the Hospital. He said, “UTAR is a University ‘by the people, for the people’, hence building a hospital is one way for the university to give back to the community. UTAR Hospital will provide vital services to the people of Kampar and its surrounding communities; services that will not only impact the health of our communities but also ones that can be leveraged in healthcare facilities across the country for all Malaysians.”

Prof Lau introducing UTAR Hospital to the donors

UTAR Hospital CEO and Medical Director Prof Dr Lau Hui Ping introduced UTAR Hospital and its services, “The Hospital offers Western Medicine and Traditional and Complementary Medicine including Chinese, Ayurvedic and Traditional Malay Medicines. The Traditional and Complementary Medicine Centre (T&CM Centre) opened its door to the public on April 2022 and I am thrilled to share with you that it has received more than 16,000 patient visitations ever since. Besides offering medical services, the hospital would also provide education and training for TCM students and conduct medical research for the advancement of medicine and healthcare.”

From left: Prof Dato’ Ewe, Venerable Chi Chern and Ms Sinje Lee at the Charity Lunch Talk

The first topic of the talk was “Have you eaten 呷饱未”. Venerable Chi Chern and Ms Sinje Lee were invited to share their thoughts on the topic. According to them “Have you eaten 呷饱未” is part of a greeting one hears almost every day because being full is one of the basic needs of human life. However, they explained that most will pass on the opportunity to enjoy it; be it physically or mentally.

Ms Sinje Lee advised, “Feeling full mentally is important. You need to be faithful to that which exists within yourself. You don’t have to be accepted by others but you need to accept yourself.” She added, “You find peace not by rearranging the circumstances in your life, but by realising who you are at the deepest level.” She then shared her life story and discussed the importance as well as the impact of mental health on children.

Interesting sharing by Venerable Chi Chern (left) and Ms Sinje Lee (right)

While discussing the topic “Fairly cautious parent”, Venerable Chi Chern explained that children should be given more freedom as it would build their confidence and independent skills. “We must trust them to make their own decisions and allow them to move out by themselves, although this may be scary for parents these days,” he explained. Venerable Chi Chern added, “‘Play’ is essential for development because it contributes to the cognitive, physical, social, and emotional well-being of children and youth.” The talk was moderated by Prof Dato’ Ewe.

The highlight of the day was the Calligraphy Painting Auction Session, which was run by Venerable Chi Chern, Ms Sinje Lee and Master Yap Hong Ngee. They donated six pieces of their calligraphy paintings and put them up for the charity auction. The money raised from the auction was then donated to UTAR Hospital. The auction managed to raise a total of RM295,000.  

Venerable Chi Chern putting three pieces of his calligraphy paintings up for the auction

Ms Sinjie Lee explaining her masterpiece drawing which was created using bodhi leaves  

Master Yap Hong Ngee auctioning two pieces of his Calligraphy Paintings

Prof Dato’ Ewe (left) presenting souvenirs to Venerable Chi Chern while Prof Lau (right) looks on

Prof Dato’ Ewe (left) presenting souvenirs to Ms Sinjie Lee while Venerable Chi Chern (second from left) and Prof Lau (right) look on

Prof Dato’ Ewe (left) presenting souvenirs to Master Yap Hong Ngee (right) while Venerable Chi Chern looks on

All the proceeds from the sale of books written by Venerable Chi Chern and Prof Dato’ Ewe will also be donated to UTAR Hospital

A total of RM270,000 was raised from the 24 table banquets

For more information about UTAR Hospital and donations to the hospital, please go to the following website: https://utarhospital.org.my/