Yang Mei

yangmei_szdaily@163.com

ORGANIZED by the Shenzhen and Huizhou Sub-council of the Marriott South China Business Council, the annually held charity run — Run to Give 2017 — was launched in support of the Yao Foundation at Sheraton Dameisha Resort on Sunday.

Nearly 1,000 staff members from 17 Marriott hotels and citizens from different walks of life participated in the run.

A total of 87,277 yuan (US$13,231) was raised in only a few hours and all funds raised will go to the Yao Foundation to further support educational projects for underprivileged children in rural China, according to the organizer.

Marriott Greater China Business Councils also joined hands with the “Joyrun” app, together initiating a five-day campaign called “RUN TO GIVE | 9.24KM Competition — I’ll Run to Give You a Comfort Zone” running through Thursday. By 8 a.m. Monday, the campaign had attracted 62,718 online participants and 1,262 runners had completed the competition.

“We support the Yao Foundation and wish for more children in rural China to experience athletic spirit and have better educational opportunities. ‘The stronger the youth are, the stronger the nation will be.’ This year we call for running to challenge our own comfort zone so as to provide a comfort zone of learning and sports for those children,” said Angela Pan, the Guidance Member of Marriott Greater China Business Councils, during the charity run.

Debuted in 2014, the annual “Run to Give” charity event brings hotel associates together in different cities to support local charities.

“Run to Give” is a key event in the Asia-Pacific region under the company’s “TakeCare” movement, which aims to encourage associates to live their best life by promoting physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing and creating strong team synergy, while also reinforcing the company’s core value of “We Serve Our World.”