DJY (Datin Janet Yeoh) Charity Team – Doing Good For Community

Datin Janet Yeoh (standing 7th form left) with the DJY Team and Orang Asli residents. Patrick Ong (standing 2nd from right in white cap) and Sean Chan (front row 1st from right) 

A month ago I was alerted by my charity activist friend Patrick Ong, who mainly aids the Orang Asli families around the Kinta Valley, of a group distributing aid at Tg Tualang.

“Today v had a successful trip to OA Kg Ayer Tenak, Tg Tualang ..with superstar's mama leading her team wearing t-shirts with d logo, DJY …Datin Janet Yeoh came in her Porsche!... She tried riding on my old Proton Arena! What an experience 4 a grand old mama in her 80s! … 80 packs, comprising, cooking oil, soap, slipper, bee hoon, colgate n 10kg rice, was distributed to d poor.+ clothes” … read a text from Patrick.

The DJY Team came with Sean Chan of ESS Engineering  who contributed  4wheel-drive vehicles to carry the goodies and proposed to fix the wiring for three OA houses.

Distribution time at Kg Ayer Ternak, Tg Tualang. (Left pix) Patrick Ong and Datin Janet . Some of the 80 packs of goodies

Several stops were made to distribute the goodies

The DJY Team and the team from ESS Engineering with a resident from Kg Ayer Ternak.

That ‘superstar mama’ which Patrick was referring to was Datin Janet Yeoh, the mother of international actress Tan Sri Michelle Yeoh.

I had so far seen Datin Janet in evening dress handing out prizes at public functions and this was a first seeing her in trousers handing out goodies to the Orang Asli.

I subsequently contacted Datin Janet to enquire about Team DJY and learnt that it was now 4 years old.

Janet who is 80 this year said at the time she was free at home and needed something to occupy her time. That was when she decided to start a charity.

“I am old but I can walk, think and still can come out to help people so I started DJY Charity Team.

It’s a small team of just 13 members. We contribute Rm100 a month including my daughter Michelle and do charity in cash and kind every month mainly to the Old Folks Home.

Sean Chan, of ESS Engineering said the trip to the Orang Asli was an annual affair.

The Team pose with their DJY T-shirts 

..and at their 4th Anniversary dinner earlier

“We always work with Patrick Ong who knows the OA families and their needs. DJY Team would donate the major portion and ESS will contribute with cash and kind like logistic support and expertise to contribute to the community of orang asli”.

Overall it’s was a fun and win-win outing on a weekend for everyone including my staff.

JAG