Saturday November 14, 2009
Home, at last
Stories by JOLEEN LUNJEW
After 50 years of being a squatter, the SPCA in Selangor can finally call their piece of land home. But it’s still going to be an uphill task before their dream of a new residence is realised.
Lying down quietly in a corner, the little black puppy pricked up his ears and came bouncing towards me as I approached the cage. Tail wagging furiously, he placed one paw up on the bars and stared at me with soulful eyes, almost pleading, “Love me. All I want is a home and a chance to be someone’s best friend.”
I melted instantly as I reached out to touch his extended paw. With a heavy heart, I knew that I would not be able to grant his wish but at least his chances were higher than the sad scruffy dog named Brownie in the cage beside him. Like most adult strays, Brownie would have to be put down as people generally do not want to adopt a full-grown dog.
Many unwanted animals have been seeking temporary refuge at the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) since its inception in 1958 by a Dutchman, the late Max Wheatley and his wife Mea Wheatley, who is presently SPCA’s fundraising chairman.
Clockwise from top: (L-R) Chan Mo Lin, Donne Ray Radford and Christine Chin An NGO that receives no government aid and runs entirely from donations, SPCA has been squatting on their two-acre site on Jalan Kerja Air Lama, Ampang Jaya, for more than 50 years.
Their prolonged battle to purchase the land finally came to an end when the present Selangor State Government approved their application for alienation last year.
An aggressive fundraising campaign, driven particularly by the efforts of SPCA chairperson Christine Chin and committee member Chan Mo Lin, was held and a premium price was paid. SPCA can, at last, call its premises home.
The ladies have ambitious plans for the place. They want to transform SPCA’s current dilapidated facility into a brand new eco-friendly shelter that can house 300 dogs and 200 cats.
SPCA desktop calendar. Assisting them in bringing their dream to fruition is Malaysia’s award-winning architect Hijjas Kasturi, who is offering his services pro bono.
Plans have been drawn up and construction work is expected to commence by next year-end if sufficient funds are raised.
“We will have better kennels and facilities to house the increasing number of animals that flood our shelter,” says Chin.
“On our eco-friendly efforts, we will be harvesting rainwater for reuse, using local materials, building and designing the shelter around the trees that are over 100 years old and implementing a proper waste management system. We would like to make our own compost as well, so we welcome expertise from environment specialists.”
SPCA welcomes donations in kind from contractors or developers who have excess building materials.
“We welcome roof and floor tiles, wood, chain-link fencing, cement or any building material. We will mix and match these materials and, of course, will recognise the contractor or developer’s contributions,” adds Chan, a lawyer by profession.
The new shelter will also boast a teaching facility to handle the thousands of children and students that visit SPCA monthly.
The SPCA 2010 diary “We believe in sowing the seeds of kindness and compassion at a very young age. It’s a good start,” says Chan.
For those who would like to be part of the founding donors, SPCA is offering their 168 new kennels up for sponsorship.
RM5,000 will allow the sponsor to have naming rights over a kennel for life. Almost 30 kennels have been sold already. To raise more funds for their new home, the women have embarked on a pilot project to print diaries for the year 2010.
“It’s very hard to rely on normal cash donations these days so we had to come up with innovative ways to raise funds. A diary is something that people will use and carry around. This indirectly promotes SPCA as well,” explains Chan.
Pet lovers donated RM1,000 each to have their pet’s picture featured in the diary which is sold at RM40. About 1,200 copies were printed, fully sponsored by a Singaporean woman.
“This may be an annual project as the diaries have been snapped up very quickly,” says Chan.
Also on sale are the annual SPCA desktop calendars, selling for RM20 each.
“Asking people to donate money to stray animals is like running uphill on sand!” laments Chan.
“Nine out of 10 people I approached support charities for humans and not animals. This is only natural. But I never give up. If I can get one person out of every 10 to help out, some animals will have a chance at survival. I have done this for more than 30 years.”
The main event in their fundraising efforts is Black Solid Gold, a charity gala dinner in which Donne Ray Radford — lead singer and tenor of The Platters from 1986-1992 — will perform the solid golden sounds of Black American Soul, R&B, funk and jazz hits made famous by Stevie Wonder, Prince, Lionel Ritchie and Al Jarreau, and a special medley of Michael Jackson’s top hits.
The gala dinner will be held at The Shangri-la Hotel Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, Jan 10 next year. Dress code is 80s or smart casual.
Tickets (tax-exempted) are priced at RM5,000, RM3,000, RM2,500, RM2,000 and RM1,500 for a table of 10. Individual seating is also available.
For enquiries and purchase of the Gala Dinner tickets, diary and calendar, head to the SPCA or call
(03) 4256 5312/4253 5179, e-mail: spca@streamyx.com or visit www.spca.org.my
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