In this edition of student blogs, Year 12 student David Tso discusses the difficulties and rewards of organising school-wide events and contributing to charities.

What inspired the idea for a Fund Run?I was inspired to create the Fund Run because I recently applied for a sports scholarship. One of the requirements was to get the school community to participate in a sporting event, so this year for my CAS project I decided to put together a school-wide 5km run. I believe it’s one of the best ways to get the community involved in sports as a group as it’s something everybody can do. Another reason I created the Fund Run was that I am also a part of the cross-country team. Last year, our final race was cancelled due to bad weather so I wanted to give the students who were a part of the cross-country team another opportunity to run the race again.

Who was involved in the planning of the event?I came up with the initial idea and then spoke with my teachers, asking them what they thought about the idea and if they were available to supervise the event. After telling them my idea, they were very fond of it and agreed to help me. Originally it was supposed to be a short race to raise funds during lunch time, but that didn’t work out as I had hoped so we decided to try and expand it. From there it became a much larger event held during our Global Community Day. To help me in the planning and organising of the event, I reached out to “Heart to Heart” charity group. The final team that helped me put on the event were my teachers, the Heart to Heart group, and myself.

Please describe the Fund Run activity in detail.Participants will be able to take part in the Fund Run for a RMB 50 yuan donation. There will be a 2.5km and a 5km race. Through the 5km race, runners will be able to win prizes from our sponsors. Prizes include a RMB 1000 yuan voucher to the Temple restaurant and iTunes gift cards for four separate categories (male adults, female adults, male students and female students). It will take place in Honglingjin Park during the YCIS Beijing Global Community Day on May 14 starting at 10.30 a.m. 

What charity does the Fund Run benefit? Why did you choose this charity in particular?All the proceeds we earn from the Fund Run will be donated to the YuHua Charity. YuHua Charity is a home for the disabled in Beijing that assists mentally and physically disabled children. When I first heard about this charity, I went on their website to read a story about a boy they care for who suffers from epilepsy. After reading about how they were helping the boy, I was much moved. My older brother also suffers from epilepsy, so I thought the work that they do helping the children of Beijing was very worthwhile. I wanted to assist them in their campaign. A lot of families don’t have the same quality of life that my family is lucky enough to have; it’s a very expensive disability to treat and requires a great deal of effort to take care of people who suffer from these types of conditions. I believe donating to this charity is a great way to show them that there are people out there who care.

What kind of positive influences do you think this event will bring to the community and to your own personal development?I feel this event has the ability to bring the school community together for an important cause. If the event is successful, I can do it again next year and pass it on to a younger student after I graduate. I think the idea of a marathon is great because it brings people together for a charitable cause all trying to reach the finish line. I’ve also developed a great deal as a person thanks to this event. One thing I learnt was patience. At first there were not many participants and I found it difficult waiting for people to sign up. Asking for sponsors was also quite difficult as it took a long time and a large number of emails back and forth. The two sponsors I was able to get involved (Temple Restaurant and Vista Medial Centre) are great, but I didn’t realise how long it takes to organise something on this scale. In addition to patience, I learnt how to remain calm and also how to present myself confidently as communicating efficiently and professionally was the key to finding sponsors. Of course, a third positive influence it had on me was understanding the value of teamwork. At first I was trying to organise the whole event by myself, but I quickly realised that in order to expand the event I would need help. I’m very thankful for the Heart to Heart group as well as the teachers for supporting me and helping me put this event together.

Do you have any advice for your fellow students interested in organising a similar event?Don’t be afraid to be ambitious. At first I thought it was too difficult to complete a project of this size, but after serious planning and with some help, I was able to achieve my goal. Don’t be afraid to try; as long as you try, you might have a shot at succeeding. Probably my biggest piece of advice is to plan ahead of time, because as I mentioned before, the original idea for the fun run was that it would be held during a regular school day’s lunch time. There was only a week for me to organise it and because I didn’t plan well enough, it didn’t work out. When the idea shifted to holding the event during Global Community Day, I made sure to manage my time efficiently and not leave things to the last minute. Finally, don’t be afraid to ask for help. There were a few issues with the Fund Run as Primary students wanted to participate, but for health and security reasons I didn’t think it would be allowed. I reached out to my teachers and they volunteered to help ensure that the run would be safe enough for everybody to take part. If you have a problem or something you’re not sure about, be sure to reach out and ask somebody for help.

How will students and staff be able to participate?If any students or staff would like to participate, they can come find me on campus or email me at tsodavid@hotmail.com and donate RMB 50 yuan; make sure they provide their T-shirt size so that I can make the proper arrangements! I would like to invite as many people as possible to take part as it is a really worthy cause and a good way to be active within the school community.

To read another student blog contributed by David at the beginning of the school year, please click here. To find out more about the exciting events happening on and around the YCIS Beijing Campus, follow this link.