"As the great Whitney Houston once said, “I believe the children are our future, teach them well and let them lead the way.” Every parent wants the best for their child. As a father of a 2-year-old autistic child, there are additional challenges, but I am no different. My family treats my son with unwavering love for which I would be eternally grateful. However, with over 300,000 people in Malaysia on the autism spectrum, I often wonder how their families are coping. I wanted to give them a voice, hope and a reason to believe in. SimplyGiving's online fundraising platform provided me that opportunity. As an avid runner, I channelled my passion for the sport whilst raising awareness for autism. I believe this to be my life purpose. To date, I have completed several runs including my first full marathon in 2017 where I raised RM40,000 through SimplyGiving for the National Autism Society of Malaysia (NASOM). I remember crossing the finish line in tears as it marked a personal running milestone fuelled by a passionate cause. In September this year, I will continue my life's mission by completing 100KM at Janda Baik Ultra 2019. Everyone can make a difference. You just need to make the first step." - Mohd Dzulkaedah

"Missed opportunities and the story of my life. Growing up, I took my education for granted as I dedicated much of my time and effort into other adverse avenues. Unfortunately for me, these poor decisions led to severe repercussions later in life as my career plateaued early and I grew envious of my peers’ success stories and lifestyles. There were many regrets and questions of “what-ifs” but I was never going to turn back time. It was then that I decided to give back to the community. As a fitness enthusiast, I wanted to synergize my passion for running with my mission of ensuring all underprivileged children had access to proper education. SimplyGiving enabled me to do just that. Since 2017, I have used SimplyGiving to raise funds for Rumah Aman Children's Home and UNICEF Malaysia via my races. Although most of my races are both physically and emotionally demanding, my undying passion to serve these charities often powered me across the finish line. It has been a real journey and I still get excited over a new donation notification. It is what keeps me going. Wait no longer, come join me!" - Wooi Keat

"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream - C.S Lewis. "For many people, turning fifty is usually a massive milestone. Afterall, it indicates that you have lived for half a century whilst bearing witness to fifty years of history! Now, that’s a HUGE deal for many people. Thus, it is unsurprising to see people crossing this “Great Divide” with a sense of apprehension. I on the other hand chose to see it differently. I was raring to take on the second half of my life with full gusto. Many goals were set but none would compare to scaling Mount Kinabalu. A personal quest dating many years ago, I was dead set on making it a reality despite two failed attempts. To make my pursuit more purposeful, I engaged with Simply Giving prior to my next attempt. As a firm believer for children’s education, I pledged my support to Kebajikan Pergerakan Adil (PKPA). The third attempt was filled with obstacles, constantly begging my body to stop. However, I soldiered on. My commitment to the children of PKPA was the extra motivation I needed to succeed in addition to raising RM12,000 towards a worthy cause. If a fifty-year-old “aunty” can do it, what’s stopping you?" - Natasha Lee Abdullah

“Refugees are mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, children, with the same hopes and ambitions as us—except that a twist of fate has bound their lives to a global refugee crisis on an unprecedented scale.” – Khaled Hosseini . At Ideas Academy, we strongly believe that education is an empowering force and it is our mission to embody this belief. Having engaged with students from all walks of life, we see the same burning desire to succeed in all of them. Although there is a degree of fear and apprehension amongst those who have experienced loss of loved ones, we take it in our stride to encourage them whilst instilling lots of positivity. Afterall, the only thing more powerful than fear is hope. A hope for something better, that is well within their grasp. . As a passionate educator, I am eternally grateful to Simply Giving for enabling me to devote my full attention to our students and not needing to worry about the organization’s financial position. Together, we will strive to ensure that no child is left behind. Education is a basic human right. Let’s keep it that way.

“Use your gifts and talents for good and to inspire." "My parents taught me this important life lesson and always encouraged me to be kind to the people around us. Growing up in a family that practiced gratitude and giving back, I often took part in my parents' missions. I witnessed first-hand, the cruel depths of poverty, hunger, lack of healthcare and abandonment. It saddens me greatly that despite our technological advancements and economic resources, these groups of people are overlooked. It pains me to see them suffering and, in some instances, alone. I knew then, that more needed to be done. We decided to team up with SimplyGiving, the online fundraising platform, to raise funds for House of Joy, a home for orphans, children and teens. “Giving Back With Music” was our third project and the objective was to provide an opportunity for the children to seek solace in or comfort from music. It was a huge success! For our upcoming project, we aim to spread awareness on bullying in schools. As a victim of bullying, I understand the trauma and fear each victim go through. It can be very overwhelming. Thus, I hope this campaign will shed light on the severity of bullying in some schools as well as ways we can overcome it together." - Isabelle Sisoski