In fact, the St John’s International School student has just announced that he has successfully raised RM28,551 in just three weeks, surpassing the amount of RM27,500 he raised in 2020 through a movie screening event.
Earlier in January 2021, Visaghan explained that he initially intended to raise the necessary funds to aid Hospis Malaysia by hosting yet another moving screening event.
However, with the reimplementation of the Movement Control Order (MCO) to curb the spread of Covid-19, the event had to be called off.
Another plan was put in motion, as Visaghan’s quick-thinking mother suggested that he sell gifts for Christmas and organise a New Year’s Bazaar and the duo immediately got to work.
Beautiful gifts were sourced all the way from India, and donors were offered the option of selecting from an impressive array of envelopes, boxes, bags, scarves, sarongs, dressing gowns, Lucknow Chikan kurtas and Indo-western attire – all of which were priced from as low as RM50 to RM200.
The fundraiser, called ‘The Ripple Effect in memory of the late Uncle Jegadeva’, was named after a close family friend who was terminally ill and received palliative care from the centre.
“Before he passed away, Uncle Jegadeva wanted to raise funds for Hospis Malaysia and that is why we feel such a close connection to this place,” explained Visaghan.
“It made me understand the importance of palliative care.”
Despite having to prepare for his IGCSE examinations last December, Visaghan took time out to appeal to all the generous donors who contributed to his cause, in the hopes of being able to sell the products on sale and raise the necessary funds once more.
He had initially hoped to raise just RM20,000 as he did not know what to expect with the pandemic tightening everyone’s purse strings.
Things took a happy turn, however, and Visaghan’s hard work and determination bore fruit as donations were received from not only kind-hearted Malaysians but from generous people living as far as Australia.
“Considering that we are facing challenging times, the figures truly reflect that there is always hope when our fellow Malaysians come together to make things happen,” said a thankful Visaghan, who added that that the fundraiser has also served its primary purpose of creating awareness of palliative care in Malaysia.
“Plus, it was an eye-opener to connect with the people who had shared their stories and experiences on how Hospis Malaysia had been part one of their toughest journeys in life.”
Visaghan, who hopes to study law someday, explains that his passion to help those in need is largely inspired by his mother who often organises fundraisers.