Jog For Hope: A Leg Forward for Charity

"Don't blow it — good planets are hard to find." (TIME magazine)

Such a saying would be absolutely redundant if no action was taken to justify the crux of the statement, that is, how precious the environment is to its inhabitants.

Fortunately there are people who do care passionately for the environment, and thus, this is how the "Jog For Hope" event was launched here in Taylor's College Sri Hartamas by the Tree Huggers Club in aid of the Spastic Children’s Association of Selangor and Federal Territory (SCAS&FT).

They say “one good thing gives birth to another”. In this case, it couldn't be more true. The birth of such a big event like a jogathon organized by a club of less than a year old is more than just a huge achievement. It is, for some, a dream come true, for it is not in every person's lifetime that they get to say they were part of organizing and spearheading such an event.

The incredibly dedicated Tree Huggers Club members led by Chua Kee Aik had many tough weeks preparing for this event in which they knew would define themselves and as well as the college. In fact, they were already hard at work a day before the event, which began in the wee hours of the morning on Sunday, the 19th of July. “Most of them didn't even get any sleep,” says Arthur Chia, the vice-president of the club.

Many people who were also in the organizing committee arrived early on Sunday morning (some as early as 4 a.m.) to set up the registration booths and to ensure all the theatres, tables and chairs were laid out properly. It was around 6 a.m. that the crowd began to arrive more steadily, while certain committee members such as Ayesha Sofia and Janice Siew were still busy running around the area. Soon enough, the crowd increased in number and by 7.30 a.m., most of the runners for “Jog For Hope” moved to the open area in front of the Hartamas Shopping Centre to warm up for the event that was due to begin at 8 a.m.

The VIPs present that day were Yang Berhormat Dr. Hou Kok Chung, Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Yang Berbahagia Dato’ Lam Peng Chong, President of the Spastic Children’s Association of Selangor and Federal Territory, Mr. Lim Tou Boon, President of Taylor’s College, Mr. Thou Kok Cheng, Chief Operating Officer of TCSH and Taylor’s Subang, Ms. Lydia Wang, who is the Chief Marketing Officer of Taylor’s University College and TCSH’s Campus Director, Mr Anandakumaresh Ratnasingam.

At the pull of the trigger, the participants began the jog with eager faces. They were a mass of approximately 600 people, the faster ones ahead and the rest following closely behind. As the participants ran the route of the jog, they received free drinks from volunteers at some of the check points and first aid was also provided from the volunteers of St John’s Ambulance Malaysia. There were four categories that catered for participants of all ages, which were Taylorians, Veterans, under-17 and the Open category.

From the categories itself one could tell that this event was well-received, as it not only saw the participation of students, parents and young children, but also the lecturers of TCSH. Those who were not running competitively had slowed their pace to leisure walks, but they had nothing to lose. It was a time to tighten bonds, a time to embrace the scenic views of the Hartamas and Jalan Duta area. Indeed, the participants displayed high spirits that morning as some who had completed the race earlier, ran the route backwards and cheered the remaining runners on till the finishing line.

By 10 a.m., everyone was gathered back in college to attend the closing ceremony. Yang Berbahagia Dato’ Lam Peng Chong was invited to give a speech, which he began by singing a cheerful song to the audience, and eventually he proceeded to give praise to the participants and students who made the event a huge success. The President of the Tree Hugger’s Club, Chua Kee Aik, also said a few words, expressing his gratitude to all who had helped out in organizing the event. This was followed by the handing over of a cheque of an amount of RM10,000 to Dato’ Lam Peng Chong, who received it gratefully and gave a thumbs-up to all who were present that day.

Then, came the moment everyone had been waiting for—the prize-giving ceremony! The winners of the “Jog For Hope” event are as follows:

Taylorians Category (Male)
1st place: Aaron Ng
2nd place: George Ambrose
3rd place: Shafiq Razak
4th place: Adrian Joseph Sankar
5th place: Shaun Wee Wei San

Taylorians Category (Female)
1st place: Kavitha Krup Baskaran
2nd place: The Suat Lin
3rd place: Cheryl Goh Yi Shyan
4th place: Abby Ho Jia Hui
5th place: Grace Wong Siew Lin

Veteran Category (Male)
1st place: Paul Lee
2nd place: Gan Tee Kian
3rd place: Bon Kok Meng
4th place: Ngae Koh Hieng
5th place: Lee Kwong Yew

Veteran Category (Female)
1st place: Carol Low Peng Keat
2nd place: -
3rd place: Teoh Oon Leng
4th place: Gan Chooi Yan
5th place: Jenny Lee

Under-17 Category (Male)
1st place: Prathab Muniandy
2nd place: Pravin Muniandy
3rd place: Goh Chuan Seng
4th place: Teo Khai Cze
5th place: James Wai Leong Lau

Under-17 Category (Female)
1st place: Teo Kar Yee
2nd place: Isabelle Ng Yee Mun
3rd place: Jie Cheng
4th place: Lai Yee
5th place: Lee Siao Chin

Open Category (Male)
1st place: Khoo Yit Kiat
2nd place: Goh Wei Hong
3rd place: Jason Kok
4th place: Chong Boon Sun
5th place: Ahmad Fadhlullah

Open Category (Female)
1st place: Suet Yen
2nd place: Wendy Loh
3rd place: Lilian Wong
4th place: Jasmin Lau
5th place: Li-Ann Lim

All in all, the event succeeded in achieving its motive, which was to raise funds for the Spastic Children’s Association of Selangor and Federal Territory in hopes of improving the centre’s facilities, and thus ensuring a better environment for the children. The sponsors of this event, which are AP Lab Scientific, L’affair, Sunrise Berhad, Telechat Communication, Datacraft, Solid Sense, New Straits Times, SAAG Consolidated, EON Bank, The Star, Celebrity Fitness and Biergartn also made this charity run possible. The “Jog For Hope” was truly a memorable event held in TCSH and all who played a part in it had proven to have a heart for those who are in need.

By SARAH LIM, SARAH TAN YANN JIA, PAMELA CHOO and YAU JIA MIN
Photos by CHAN WHEY JINN, TAN KAY HWA and SANDRA YAM