By 5J Cherry Chui
In order to make an all-out effort to support the Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong, I joined a fundraising walkathon called “Together We Stride” on April 23rd. This fundraising event has all the funds raised going to the building and development of churches. We walked from the Amphitheatre in Hong Kong Science Park to Pak Shek Kok Park in Shatin. At the beginning, I believed that it would be a tough walkathon as I needed to complete a 3-kilometer walk.
However, it turned out to be an achievable mission for me. During the walk, many of the volunteer helpers of the event stationed along the route, gave many words encouragement to all of us participants. I felt that I was personally accompanied with love and this gave me the strength and the determination to finish this walkathon.
Also accompanying me along the route, were many other participants from other schools and organizations. Can you imagine that even kindergarten students and retired elderly individuals joined to support the cause? I could see their passion for helping others, and I was enthralled by their enthusiasm. These people too with their hellos and their smiles encouraged me to break my limits. After achieving the goal and completing this walkathon, although I felt exhausted, I was ecstatic and filled with deep joy and happiness. Volunteering is certainly a meaningful activity and this precious experience will certainly be a milestone on my road to volunteering.