Sunway Communication Students hit the ground running with charity events.

The end of the year is a barren time to seek endorsements and sponsorship from companies as most have exhausted their funds. This was the scenario faced by the students of the BA (Hons) Communication taking the Events Management class in August 2017. Their project which was to be assessed, was the organisation of a charity dinner and they had set their sights on raising funds for the charity, Rumah Hope. Not fazed by this obstacle, the enterprising students sought funding and donations from their immediate community: their parents, relatives, friends of family, and associated friends. So successful was their drive to organise the charity dinner, “An Enchanted Evening for Rumah Hope” on November 10, 2017 that they sold 27 tables at Sunway Resort Hotel & Spa and put up brilliant performances on that night.

And in the process, they created a memorable experience for the diners, using the skills and knowledge in public relations, corporate communication, advertising, sales and marketing, and management of events that they had learnt in their classrooms. “We had to use our creativity, people management, and planning skills and develop these in order to run a successful event,” said Ong May Kay, logistics team member. The project team leader, Leong Wern Yung and her team planned and organised a series of events comprising a charity bazaar and a donation drive with the charity dinner as the culmination of the events. They were able to raise RM16,980 for Rumah Hope, a sanctuary for neglected and underprivileged children in 11 weeks!. ‘A wonderful and professionally organised event by the 15 students of the Event Management August 2017 Class”, said Professor Harold Thwaites, Dean of the School of Arts.