KUALA LUMPUR, 10 January 2017: The Malaysian Association of Hotels’ (MAH) KL Chapter has once again successfully concluded its 7th CHARITY COOKIE BAKE with a collection exceeding its target, thanks to the continued combined support from hotel suppliers and corporate companies who purchased the festive cookies.

Originally pledging to donate at least RM8,000 each to their two selected beneficiaries – Rumah Solehah and Persatuan Komuniti El Shaddai Kuala Lumpur – the MAH KL Chapter eventually handed over a contribution worth RM15,000 to each of the two organisations.

Rumah Solehah operates halfway homes for women, children and orphans made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS while Persatuan Komuniti El Shaddai Kuala Lumpur runs the St Mary Old Folks Home, the El Shaddai Shelter for orphaned/abandoned children as well as a soup kitchen for 400 hardcore poor residents in the Jalan Ipoh area in the city.

Dubbed “Charity Cookie Bake 2016”, the annual charity project is undertaken by the Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) KL Chapter every December. This unique project was most recently participated by 18 hotels from Kuala Lumpur with each hotel contributing at least 20kg of signature cookies baked by their respective pastry chefs. The hotel-quality assorted cookies were then re-packed into smaller gift-boxes weighing 200gm and sold at RM20 per pack. For “bulk purchasers” from among corporate organisations which bought the cookie-packs as their year-ender giveaways, the cookies were sold at RM18 each for purchase-quantities above 100 boxes. The proceeds from the cookie-sales are then channeled to two selected beneficiaries selected by the board-members of MAH KL Chapter each year.

Despite a sluggish start to the cookie-sales, the organisers were delighted that the pre-orders ensured the cookies were fully sold out within a week. The actual cookie-sales generated a collection totaling RM28,300 while MAH KL Chapter topped-up with an additional RM1,700 so that each beneficiary received RM15,000 which will be used for their respective operational expenses and welfare developmental needs.

MAH KL Chapter’s annual Charity Cookie Bake project is championed by an organising chairman appointed by rotation from among the board-members of the Chapter. This latest edition of the Charity Cookie Bake 2016 was headed by Mr Mondi Mecja, who is also the General Manager of Berjaya Times Square Hotel, Kuala Lumpur.

MAH KL Chapter Cheque Presentation

Commenting on the project, Mr Mecja said, “As an NGO, MAH KL Chapter has always worked towards the interest of our member-hotels and their associates. Aside from sponsoring training courses for the employees of our member-hotels and organising various recreational sporting tournaments, we view this project as our very own CSR effort – outside of our Chapter’s activities – for the less fortunate in our society. It gives us an excellent opportunity to focus our perspectives for a worthy cause and remember other people in society who have their own equally important needs and hopes. In fact, our Charity Cookie Bake fund-raiser also draws on a collective effort by our hotel associates as it also involves the pre-sales participation of volunteers (from various hotels) coming together to help with the packing of cookies, which is a massive task as the order was to pack over 1,700 cookie-packs within just two days!”

“This year, we were very anxious if we could even fulfill our minimum donation pledge to each beneficiary as the projected sales of the cookies was slow in picking up, in part a result of the overall business slowdown. We had fewer hotels donating the cookies too while some of our regular supporters reduced their purchase quantities. But, through sheer hard-sell and teamwork by some of our member-hotels, I’m relieved that we managed to achieve a heart-warming finale that has enabled us to eventually donate RM30,000 to both of our selected beneficiaries,” said Mr Mecja.

Since the inception of the MAH KL Chapter Charity Cookie Bake in 2010, a total of RM141,400 has been collected for disbursement to 14 charities and welfare organisations.

At the cheque presentation ceremony today, Rumah Solehah was represented by its Matron, Puan Fadzilah Binti Abd Hamid (who is also the home’s Exco Member & Training/Human Resource Officer) and their Project Coordinator, Puan Fathiiah Hamzah while Persatuan Komuniti El Shaddai was represented by its founder/director, Bro. Ivan Kennedy.

Also present at the ceremony was Ms Shirley Lai, chairperson of the KL Chapter of the Malaysian Association of Hotels, organising chairman Mr Mondi Mecja, the Chapter’s board-members as well as General Managers and representatives from the hotels which contributed cookies for this project.

The KL Chapter of the Malaysian Association of Hotels has 149 hotels in its membership registry, covering more than 37,000 rooms ranging from budget to five-star classified types. It is the largest Chapter under the umbrella of the national Malaysian Association of Hotels, which has a total count of 915 ordinary and associate members.

Issued By : Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) KL Chapter
For media inquiries : Please contact the MAH KL Chapter Secretariat
DL: 03 -2118 6229 / 013-342 7808
Fax: 03 - 2118 6339
Email: [email protected]

List Of Participating Hotels – Charity Cookie Bake 2016
1- Berjaya Times Square Hotel, Kuala Lumpur
2- The Boulevard – St Giles Premier Hotel, Kuala Lumpur
3- Cititel Mid Valley, Kuala Lumpur
4- Dorsett Kuala Lumpur
5- DoubleTree by Hilton Kuala Lumpur
6- Fraser Place Kuala Lumpur
7- Fraser Residence Kuala Lumpur
8- Furama Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur
9- The Gardens – A St Giles Signature Hotel & Residences, Kuala Lumpur
10- Hotel Istana Kuala Lumpur City Center
11- Hotel Royal Kuala Lumpur
12- Pacific Regency Hotel Suites
13- PARKROYAL Kuala Lumpur
14- The Plaza Hotel Kuala Lumpur
15- The Royale Bintang Kuala Lumpur
16- Sama Sama Hotel, Kuala Lumpur International Airport
17- Seri Pacific Hotel Kuala Lumpur
18- Traders Hotel Kuala Lumpur