His Highness Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum – Chairman of Dubai Technology and Media Free Zone Authority attended the Big Breakfast closing event last night accompanied by heads of government departments. The Big Breakfast campaign came to an official close last night at the Awards Ceremony where guests were invited to congratulate those who raised the most money and also to thank all the organisers and sponsors.
The Big Breakfast campaign, held under the patronage and support of His Highness Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, was a huge success all over the UAE and saw schools, families, universities, corporations and others organising their own Big Breakfasts to raise funds and awareness for Thalassaemia, but also to get together and have a good time.
Ahmad Sharaf, Senior Vice President for Energy and Healthcare, Tatweer had this to say about the event, “We are pleased with the overall response to the campaign and hope that we can duplicate its success in the future.”
Sharaf continued, “As an integral part of our organisation’s strategy, it is inevitable that we be responsible towards the community and society. With thalassaemia being a very critical concern in the United Arab Emirates, it is imperative that we contribute to supporting the health-related needs and demands of children with thalassaemia.”
Dubai Healthcare City arranged a Big Breakfast for all employees which was also open to the public. At the Award’s Night guests were delighted to learn that Dubai Healthcare City would match the total funds raised for the entire event to bring the amount to 2,000,000 dirhams - a great accomplishment for the organizing members.
The organizers, a team of young leaders from the Mohammed Bin Rashid Programme for Leadership Development, were pleased at the overall response from the public and excited about the massive contribution by Dubai Healthcare City. The project team comprises Dr Haidar Al Yousuf, Specialist Family Physician, DOHMS; Hala Badri, Corporate Communications Director at du; Eng. Khalid Al Zahed, Head of Coastal Management Section, Dubai Municipality; Maryam Kalban, Principal Executive, The Executive Office; and Mohammed Al Qassim, Manager, Corporate Banking, National Bank of Dubai.
One winner, 8 year old Saeed Al Hathboor from Al Ittihad Private School, wanted to help Thalassaemia children and arranged a Big Breakfast for his classmates at his school. He also showed them a video about Thalassaemia so they could learn more about the disease.
“Ever since Saeed visited the Thalassaemia Centre at Al Wasl Hospital, he has been wondering how he could help these children. When he found out about the Big Breakfast, he was really excited to get on board to help” said Saeed’s mother.
INTV joined hands with the Saleh Bin Lahej Group to host Big Breakfast events in selected outlets around the UAE under the slogan ‘Enjoy a meal and save a life’, INTV received an award in the Media category and Saleh Bin Lahej Group received the prize for the Hospitality category.
The Award’s Evening dinner, sponsored by Axiom Telecom, was held at the Grosvenor House hotel and was attended by a number of guests.
The Big Breakfast organizing team made three special announcements at the close of the evening to say that the Big Breakfast will become an annual fund raising event that will look at different aspects of charity. They also said that they will be writing children’s books about Thalassaemia to help raise further awareness among youth. And finally, the team will be opening a restaurant under the “Big Breakfast” name that will continuously donate a percentage of its proceeds to charity.
Other Winning Categories:
Mrs. Nahla Al Sharafi dedicated her award, for most raised by an individual to her mother, Mrs. Khadijah Al Shaibani for organizing this event.
Amna Bint Wahab Secondary School won the girl’s school award for raising the most funds.
Rashid School for Boys raised the most in the boy’s school section.
Dubai School of Government took the award in the Colleges and Universities category.
Al Ain Women’s Association – Kindergarten section won the award in the Clubs and Associations category.
Private Organisations were divided into sub categories of Home Business and Corporation.
Redaa’ Abayas gave a significant contribution from their Abaya sales and took the prize in the Home Business sub-category.
Shell held a magnificent event for their colleagues and the other corporations in their building.
Dubai Civil Aviation took the award for most funds raised in the Government section.
The Department of Health and Medical Services won the award for the Biggest number of attendees. Their event was held in the main DOHMS hospitals and clinics and over 7,000 people attended.
The Road and Transport Authority took the award for the most creative set-up.
Dubai Municipality took the award for the best awareness campaign after organizing three main events in Dubai Municipality Headquarters, Dubai Municipality Al Twar branch and Dubai Children’s City.
Olay Skincare was awarded as the official sponsors of the Big Breakfast
Boss Fragrances were recognized as the supporters of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Leadership Programme.
Other sponsors include ENOC, Arabian Radio Network, Awraq Publishing and website developers MAQSAD.
MS&L took an award for their ongoing support to the overall campaign.
