On Jun 9 of this year, Western Academy of Beijing (WAB)‘s student-led club KM for LOVE organized a Run & Brunch event to raise funds for a 5-year-old burn victim named Mia. I myself was a proud attendee at the event, which (small side note) where I ran a 3km for the first time in almost 20 years. More importantly, the event raised over RMB 58,000 for Mia!
Key student organizer Angelina Anh Laute expressed her gratitude to all who supported the event in the following message:
”The KM for LOVE student organization at WAB is extremely happy to announce that we have raised a TOTAL of RMB 53,632.44 at the 2024 KM for LOVE Run & Brunch to support Mia from Dew Drops on her journey towards mobility. From your love and kindness, we have made an incredibly meaningful contribution and difference to our Beijing community.
Having met Mia in person, she has been an inspiration to our student team, and we hope to you too, on what love for life truly means. The joy and high that we all felt from running with our loved ones on Sunday is something that Mia is still unable to experience – but together we’ve brought her one step closer to the joy of life that is movement.
On a personal level, it is so empowering to see something that just started with weekend runs with my parents to an initiative that involves my closest friends, my inspiring teachers, the school community, the Beijing community, and the international community of over 100 people. I hope that this event has been able to remind you, as it did for me, that each of us are able to make a change in this world, no matter how small or large.
On the back of the shirts worn by the Dew Drops caretakers who take care of Mia are the words of Mother Teresa: ‘We know only too well that what we are doing is nothing more than a drop in the ocean. But if the drop were not there, the ocean would be missing something.’ I believe we have all made our drop. And look at the ocean of change we have made together.
The most beautiful part of this event is that the impact we’ve made did not simply arise from one person’s doing but was born in the coming together of us all. Thank you once again to our inspiring WAB teachers and staff who have taught us so much about leadership and teamwork. Thank you to our Beijing sponsors for making our event this exciting and meaningful. Thank you to the amazing student team and my best friends for making me the luckiest person ever to work with a team like you. And finally, thank YOU – all our participants – for bringing this event to life and making our impact possible.”
Every cent of the RMB 58,632.44 raised from the event will go towards Mia’s upcoming surgery, which will focus on repositioning her right toes so that the foot will be able to lay flat on the floor when she walks. This will greatly reduce her pain and improve her quality of life. Your kindness helped make this possible, so thank you!
KEEP READING: KM for LOVE Run & Brunch To Help 5-Year-Old Mia Walk Again
Images: Courtesy of KM for LOVE
