Giving back

You don’t have to wait until you are rich and famous, you just give back.

If you don’t have money, you share your expertise.

If you don’t have much, you give your time.

And you will feel so good inside…

And I saw all that while standing at the edge of the rugby field at MCKK during the MCKK Premier 7s, an annual invitational school rugby tournament.

While other people came to see the rugby game in the royal town of Kuala Kangsar; while the coaches talked about the quality of the game and while the players went all out to win, my eyes were fixed on a group of people – the former students of MCKK who managed to find time to ‘give back’ to the their school.

They worked together with the Principal of MCKK and the school administration to not just organise the premier rugby tournament - now in its third year - but to also find sponsors and help manage the marketing-communications aspects of the event.

While juggling their day jobs as CEOs, directors, salaried souls and entrepreneurs, they would meet until the wee morning hours over the last 12 months to ensure the tournament will be a great success.

What do they get from this? The good feeling that they have “given back”.

For the old boys of MCKK, ‘giving back’ comes in many forms.

They give regular career talks to the present students.

They contribute funds to improve the “living environment” at the fully residential school.

And the spouses help out too. Two years back, they organised a charity fashion show to collect funds for the renovation of the prep school and I was one of the models – yes, the only fashion show where you don’t need the 6 pack abs and a chiselled face, to strut down the runway.

When the boys leave MCKK to continue their tertiary education, they can go for attachment and internship during semester breaks at legal firms, business and other creative set ups owned by the old boys.

Giving back has turned into talent development.

Giving back is about mentoring.

But most of all, giving back is simply a beautiful thing to do.

I looked at them, I waved and I smiled…