Wiley Runs for a Dream!

Last Saturday (6th June) saw around 250 people in Singapore rise early to take part in the Wiley Run For A Dream event. This event was the first stage of a partnership between Mitrataa and publishing company, John Wiley & Sons (ASIA), that has seen Wiley raise the funds to sponsor its own Dream Centre in Kathmandu.

To raise the funds Wiley set up a fun run challenge in which teams could register to compete in either a 10km run, 10km walk, 5km run or 5km walk. The requirement to complete the challenge was that each team had to compete their chosen event in a specified time eg. the 10km run had to be completed (by all team members) within 65 minutes. I had been involved with Wiley in the lead up to the event giving them presentations on our work in Nepal and how their contribution would make a difference, and I was amazed at the depth of commitment shown by the staff. They were holding regular training sessions after work during the week and it was fantastic to see how the program had served to develop a real camaraderie within the company.

All of the hard work paid off last Saturday when everyone arrived at East Coast Park at 7am to register for the 8am start. It was a bit early for a Saturday but necessary given the heat and humidity in Singapore not to mention the crowds that would later converge on the park!

The enthusiasm from all the participants was infectious and inspiring, it was great to be a part of something so big and full of positivity. Such was the dedication of the Wiley staff that one staff member even traveled to Singapore by bus from Kuala Lumpur just to take part! Special coloured t-shirts had been organised for the event with different colours for each category. This meant it was easy to spot participants as we were in either bright green, yellow, blue or red t-shirts with our friendly volunteers in bright orange. Starts for each category were staggered so that we made a string of colour up and down the paths along the park.

When all the events were finished and everyone was sufficiently exhausted (and I did manage to complete the 10km run!) it was time for some ‘thank yous’ and the presentation of a (literally) huge cheque for SG$12,000.00 (about AU$10,300.00). Bec and I were so honoured to receive this from Mark Allin, VP for Wiley in Asia. The money will be used to establish the Wiley Dream Centre and includes operating costs for the first 2 years. We anticipate the Centre being in operation in November this year.

We want to take this opportunity to thank everyone at Wiley for their support and contributions, it really was inspiring and we look forward to more exciting programs together. We would also particularly like to thank Alina Boey, Senior Manager for Corporate Communications at Wiley, who dedicated so much of her energy and time to ensuring the program was such a great success!