Institute of Medicine Charity Concert

Yay, we're back minus template and blown bandwidth problems. Sorry bout the visual headache for awhile there...

Anyway, last night the T.I.C group minus one cupcake attended the Charity Concert held by Institute of Medicine for SMARTER which is a non-governmental organisation that serves the interest of children with developmental disabilities particularly relating to Autism. It was the first time for me to see a charity concert of this kind (largely driven by funding from private sponsors) being held in Brunei in support of an NGO cause. There was quite a reasonable turnout with the $50 dinner tickets being sold out.

The whole evening was more entertaining than anticipated, the quality of the performances by the local artists at PhuturePhase productions were of high quality and with a calibre comparable to that of our neighbours - an eyeopener for me in particular as I have to admit I have been pretty ignorant about the local music scene til now (woops!). I have to say that what publicity they got from the event was well-deserved - heck, I would have even considered a CD if they had one.

The children of SMARTER themselves were no less keen to 'strut their stuff' and showcase some cute singing talent, all in a bid to raise awareness towards their cause. I was truly impressed by their coordinated stage efforts considering the challenge of their (social interaction) difficulties!

Overall, I have to say that for a function of this scale to be put together over a short timeframe (2 months is it?) by 45 medical students at its helm - is a worthy feat, and so 'kudos' to them for not only having brought the cause to wider attention but also to set themselves as an example of what the younger generation can do to help others...

Could we take this move as a sign perhaps that our populace at large is beginning to step up and take a pro-active role, working together to provide social support and assistance to communities in need?

I certainly hope so... after all, is it fair and realistic for us to expect and rely on our authorities with their burgeoning workloads and strained resources to cope with the needs of all? Something worth considering...

Anyway... here's thanking the organisers for a great evening! It would be good to know if they managed to reach their fund-raising goals.


Image: "Reach out, Touch a Heart" - Concert logo and theme taken from I.M Charity Evening 2008 blog.