Yes! we did it! Thank you! Thank you! And Thank you!
I do not know what to say. There are two phrases that I wanted to scream to the world:
Thank you! And Yes! We did it!
Yes, we did it!
After months of preparation, our fundraising event, Bear Necessities that was held last night here at Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia, finally ended with the finale song, Kenny Loggins’s Conviction of the Heart, led by Amir Yussof.
Yes! We did it! We have raised about RM1.3 million (USD380,000) during last night event from selling of tables, auctions of art works, individuals donations, plus a one to one matching fund from Sabah State Government!
In addition of the fund raising, we also signed in the official MOU for the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Center by the Director of Forestry Department Datuk Sam Mannan (front left), Director of LEAP Ms. Cynthia Ong (front center), and Director of Sabah Wildlife Department Mr. Laurentius Ambu (front right), witnessed by the Sabah Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Datuk Masidi Manjun (standing left) and Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Haji Aman.
Thank you! Thank you! And Thank you!
Thank you all the Bear Crews, especially mama bear- Cynthia Ong, for all the hard works to make this event a success and unforgettable one!
Thank you all the donors, corporate leaders, distinguishe guests, for your generous supports and contribution to help the bears and put them out of misery.
Thank you all the distinguishe guests- Yang Amat Berhormat the Chief Minister of Sabah, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment, Directors of Sabah Wildlife Department and Forestry Department, Mayor of Kota Kinabalu, and many others for your kind support and believing of what we are doing.
Thank you the co-sponsor of the event- Shangri-La’s Tanjung Aru Resort and Spa Kota Kinabalu for your kind sponsorship.
Thank you all the performers –Amir Yussof, Daphne Iking, Jit Murad, Roger Wang, Ida Narina, Lina Teoh, Rafique Rashid, Badar, Albert Sirimal, Joanna Bessey, the tribal drummers of Sabah, for all the excellent performances and of course being a wonderful auctioneers!
Thank you all the artists who donated their impressive artworks for this event- Wong Siew Lee (my sister), Mariana Musa, Sarah Lim, Toney Gondolos, Wolf Peters, and Cede Prudente.
Thank you all the ground crews from various conservation projects and government agencies that come a long ways to help us- PACOS, MESCOT, HUTAN, Danau Girang, Sabah Wildlife Department, Sabah Forestry Department, the technician teams, the press media, and many others for your really hard works!
Thank you! Thank you! And thank you from the bottom of my heart and from the cage bears. You have changed our life!
Years ago, I looked into the very sad eyes of the cage bears in Sepilok and I told them: “I am going to do my best to help you.. I promise with my life that I am going to help you all out of the cages and bring you all a better life!”
