Family Run for Happy Smiles

VTC News•22/08/2023

Happy runs

Mai Lan's family (Hoang Mai, Hanoi ) didn't sleep in as usual last Sunday (August 20th). Instead, the family of four decided to wake up early and head to Hoan Kiem Lake to participate in the MB Ageas Life Happy Ekiden 2023 race.

The race attracted the participation of 800 families, with over 3000 people.

This is a semi-professional race organized by MB Ageas Life, a life insurance company and member of the MB Group, for families, using the popular Japanese relay race format (Ekiden). In this format, each team consists of four members, with one child required to form a Happy Team.

Joining Lan's family were 800 other families from Hanoi and neighboring provinces, creating an incredibly vibrant atmosphere. Lan shared: " I haven't seen many family-scale running events like this before. In this event, all members bonded together as a team, instead of being individual like in other races ."

Lan's two children are at a crucial developmental stage but don't have many opportunities for daily exercise due to school commitments. Therefore, family running events are a way to foster a sporting spirit in the children.

The race is a place for families to bond and spread love.

Besides the exercise aspect, another important reason why Ms. Lan and many families wake up early on Sundays is the charitable purpose. All proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to "heal" the smiles of children with cleft lip and palate deformities.

Lan shared: “ While browsing TikTok, I saw many children with cleft lip and palate who couldn't afford surgery. I felt so sorry for them. Therefore, I wanted to contribute a small amount to help many underprivileged children regain their smiles. My family supported this aspiration, so all members participated enthusiastically .”

Joining the crowd participating in the race, Minh Tien (Kham Thien, Hanoi) shared: “ I hope there will be more races like this to help underprivileged children. Witnessing the difficult circumstances in society, I realize how fortunate I am .”

Alongside the race, the Happy Ekiden Festival was also held concurrently in the Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc Square area with exciting experiential booths for families. The main activities included: Lighting Up Happiness: a bicycle race to light up the LED screen; Happy Race Track: a balance bike race; and Happy Claw Machine: children become claws controlled by their parents to grab their favorite gifts.

There are many side activities at the race.

Restoring the smiles of children.

According to statistics from Children's Hospital 1 (Ho Chi Minh City), 3000 children are born with cleft lip and palate each year. According to Dr. Nguyen Van Dau, Head of the Maxillofacial Department at Children's Hospital 1, the rate of children with cleft lip and palate is increasing over time. A fundraising run is being held for Operation Smile to fund surgeries for children with cleft lip and palate deformities.

Previously, 1 in 750 children were born with the condition, but now that rate has increased to 1 in 550 cases. Of these, 15,000 children nationwide have yet to receive surgery. Every year, Operation Smile performs surgery on hundreds of children. This is a non- governmental organization that operates on charitable donations and volunteers.

Spreading love and healing children's smiles is the message the race aims to convey.

Over the past four years, the Happy Ekiden race has raised a significant amount of money for Operation Smile. In 2022, the race raised over 200 million VND, helping to restore smiles to 20 children. In addition, MB Ageas Life also donated 700 million VND from its business operations, supporting nearly 100 children in regaining their smiles.

Mr. Do Tuan Anh - Chairman of the Executive Committee of MB Ageas Life, delivered a speech at the race.

Sharing his thoughts on the event, Mr. Do Tuan Anh - Chairman of the Executive Committee of MB Ageas Life, said: “ Through this race, we hope to bring practical activities to accompany our customers, create a playground for families to spend quality time together, and join hands to raise funds to support children with cleft lip and palate deformities .”

Bao Anh

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