P&G ‘Thank you mom for seeing the potential in every child’ Official Launch

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Sometimes all a person needs is one chance, a chance to gain the confidence that comes with achievement.

For people with intellectual disabilities, Special Olympics holds dear to their hearts as this is a place they find success, joy and friendship through sports. Heart-touching stories documenting positive transformations of intellectual disabled children have inspired two caring companies, Procter & Gamble (P&G) and Tesco to launch a fund-raising campaign for the non-profit organisation today.

The goal is to raise RM100, 000 for Special Olympics in a two-month campaign. Consumers who wish to lend a helping hand can purchase participating P&G products at all Tesco stores nationwide, including everyday brands such as Pantene, Head & Shoulders, Rejoice, Olay, Gillette, Oral-B, Downy, Ambi Pur, Febreze, Dynamo and Fab.

“Throughout the course of helping special needs children over the years, P&G has always believed that support and encouragement are what they need most to live, learn and thrive. We’re grateful to have Tesco partner with us in spreading the message of acceptance, inclusion and respect for the intellectually disabled to shoppers across the country,” said Ms. Ellie Xie, Country CEO, P&G Malaysia and Singapore.

“By helping Special Olympics provide intellectually disabled children with training and competition opportunities, we’re opening up possibilities for parents who want to see their children grow up as confident individuals realise their dreams. As a parent myself, I understand what a mother goes through every day in paving the way for their kids. This campaign therefore also drives appreciation for mothers who truly, are the unsung heroes,” added Xie.

P&G through its CSR programme, Open Minds, has touched the lives of more than 9,000 children with learning disabilities to date.

In conjunction with the campaign launch, a fun “charity workout” session was held at Taman Jaya with a strong crowd of over 200 participants. Also present at the event were celebrity Fauziah Latiff as well as members of the media, who came in to show their support.

Tesco Malaysia’s CEO, SungHwan Do who was also present at the event launch said, “We are proud to be part of this great effort to unite humanity, irregardless of their disabilities or abilities, and we hope that we could inspire others as we continue to do more of the same.”

To encourage more support, Do said that with every purchase of participating P&G product, consumers would also be entitled to 2x Tesco ClubCard points.

“In this regard, I would like to call on Malaysians, who are well known for their generosity towards fellow Malaysians in need, to do their part and join us in this campaign,” he added.

Meanwhile, Datuk Muhammad Feisol Hassan, President, Special Olympics Malaysia applauded P&G and Tesco for organising the campaign.

“Every athlete we manage to touch is a life changed by the power of sports. Our goal at Special Olympics is to help make the world a better, healthier and more joyful place – one athlete, one volunteer, one family member at a time. Understanding brings acceptance; acceptances bring peace,” he said.

Muhammad Feisol explained that Special Olympics athletes are unique as they are children and adults with intellectual disabilities. “They are different because they may learn new skills slowly or may not understand ideas that other people pick up easily. But it is our message for more than 43 years that; people with intellectual disabilities can, and will, succeed when given the chance,” he said.

Special Olympics is the world’s largest sports organisation for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. While it holds some 50,000 competitions a year—about 136 each day, the organisation also provides year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports.

You too, can be part of this meaningful campaign by purchasing participating P&G brands at selected Tesco stores from now till March 28, 2012.

For more information on this campaign, please visit www.openminds.my