Camping In @ Subang Parade

Wednesday, 1 April 2009

Camping In @ Subang Parade

http://www.filefactory.com/file/af9cbg1/n/CAMPIN_1_zip

Kids get a taste of camping overnight at a shopping centre

It was not the typical camping expedition we used to remember when we, the adults, were once young.

There were no streams to draw water from for drinking, cooking and even washing. There were no creepy crawlies on the ground where we set our mats to sleep on. Neither were there any sounds of crickets and owls in the night or the chirping of birds in the morning.

Forty three kids however, did have a good camping experience during the recent school holidays, sleeping in over at Subang Parade. They had a sleeping bag each, lots of goodies in their welcome bag and most importantly, their meals were all luxurious.

Ranging from eight to 14 years of age, the kids who signed up for this extraordinary experience were from all walks of life. Three of them were special kids.

Fun was in the books for all of them the moment they ‘checked in”.

The overnight event was filled with games, a treasure hunt, magic show and even a short presentation by the local police.

Being away from home and no parents in sight, the kids (most of whom were angelic but some were devilish) gave the organisers a challenge when it came to bed time.

While some fell asleep almost instantly upon hitting the sleeping bag (which was contributed by ADUN Subang Jaya Hannah Yeoh), many were evading instructions to sleep. A quick check on the time when the last kid fell asleep showed the hand at 3am!!

Subang Parade marketing manager Janice Foo said the response was so overwhelming that many children had to be turned away.

“We had to limit the number of participants as this is our first time organizing such an adventure,” she said.

The event would not have been as successfully run if not for the hard work and dedication of the Subang Parade team, volunteers from the USJ2 & 6 Rukun Tetangga and last but not the least, all the corporate sponsors, the SS17 Police and Hannah Yeoh.

Editor’s Note: We are excited with the response received for this event. We have some ideas on what we can organize for youth and perhaps even their families. But we want to hear from you. Tell us what you think can be organised and how you can help us plan it. Drop us a line at editor@sjecho.com.my.