Page 121 - Hemas_Piyawara_Book

Recalling with nostalgia how he wielded the willow for this worthy cause which was
very close to his heart, Roshan says the 2013 match was to be a “small” one. Ultimately
though it took a life of its own with the end result being a sell-out and then President
Mahinda Rajapaksa deciding to grace the occasion.
“The grounds overflowed with spectators,” is Roshan’s memory of the event, while he
explains that usually he is very cautious about lending his name to anything but the
integrity and reliability of the Hemas Group were unquestionable.
Next, Roshan also took on the role of Brand Ambassador of the Hemas Outreach
Foundation without an iota of hesitancy as its focus on children was solid and ran
parallel to his own dear wishes. This work has led him to set up his own Trust on
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October 4 , 2022, while he is also a Trustee of 3 others and a Brand Ambassador for 7
more.
The Roshan Mahanama Trust’s main focus like Piyawara, is children. It provides
assistance when a family faces a critical issue such as the breadwinner being affected
by cancer.
Ms. Yamuna Perera addressing the invitees at the launch.
“I wish to give back to society whatever I can and light up the future of children. I am
dedicating 60% of my time to these missions,” adds Roshan.
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Roshan has kept his word. Having set up the 39 Community Preschool in Weheratenna,
Vavuniya, under Piyawara, on hearing that the village children had no Primary School,
he had collected funds from family and friends to bequeath one to them. He visits
these children frequently and distributes school items to both groups annually.

The number of beneficiaries of the Big Heart Project is provided by the Senior Manager
– Marketing Services of the Hemas Group, Sajith Mudalige.

Under the project, 219 underprivileged children including some from landslide-
affected Haldummulla in the age group 6-12 years had been provided a Rs. 2,000
scholarship monthly to assist them to complete their primary education from Grade
1 to 5. These children had also benefited through the efforts of the Hemas Group
which sent 3 trucks around the country to collect stationery items from the public for
donation to them.
Sajith says that it was on the final day of the campaign that the popular cricket match
was held and all the funds collected from tickets and auctions were donated to the
Hemas Outreach Foundation to be utilized for the project.

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