Eileen Thong

FORMER RUKUN TETANGGA CHAIRMAN @ SS20

75-year-old Eileen Thong has many roles under her belt - a loving wife, mother and grandmother, an environmentalist advocate, and former SS20 Rukun Tetangga chairman for the past 20 years. What can she not do? 

“For me, leadership is natural because I am the eldest daughter in a family of 3 other brothers. So being the big sister, I’m always there to make sure everything is in order, I solve problems, I make them happy.”

Eileen brings upon the same approach when serving the very same community we share with - a quaint neighbourhood in Damansara Kim called SS20. The rewards reaped from community work are not instant, but has a profound impact in the long term. For Eileen, she has the foresight & vision that the tide rises for all boats. “To me, if you do something while anticipating a reward, then you are not sincere. Do it out of goodwill.”

From initiating various community WhatsApp groups of different purposes to being the main liaison between SS20 & MBPJ, her legacy is a trail for all to follow. Perhaps her magnum opus is the “Bridge of Friendship” that connects SS20 to TTDI. Despite its sheer impossibility & with the help of a few friends, Eileen roped in ministers & funding from a private company to construct the bridge that was both elderly-friendly & wheelchair accessible.

When Table & Apron found its place in the neighbourhood of SS20, Eileen was both impressed by our food, and the young people behind it. “I saw a young man who had a vision to do something, and I always admired young, innovative people who are out to make a decent living and have ambition. As a mother, I’m very supportive of such people. So naturally I wanted to support Marcus and his vision.” 

The SS20 community have shown their continuous support for Table & Apron throughout the years, and over time, made us feel as much an integral part of Damansara Kim as the community itself.

“I had a vision when I first started out as Chairman. I wanted SS20 to be like a kampung where everybody knows everybody. I wanted us to be like a big family.” 

As we look back at our growth in the past seven years, everything about being in SS20 seem meant to be.

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