Around 6,000 runners participated in the Tzu Chi Charity Run for Education at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City on July 21, 2024.
The proceeds will support Tzu Chi Foundation’s educational assistance program, which provides scholarships and allowances to disadvantaged youth. The program supports 1,700 scholars across the Philippines.
“The Tzu Chi Foundation is very thankful to all the runners who supported this event. For every 50 runners, one scholar is supported for a whole school year. The kindness everyone has shown for the youth of the Philippines is overwhelming. I’m so touched beyond words,” said Tzu Chi Philippines chief executive Henry Yuñez.
Runrio president and chief executive Rio de la Cruz was impressed by the number of runners who participated and stayed for post-event activities and expressed hope that they would join again next year.
Beyond donating all proceeds to charity, the Tzu Chi Foundation implemented several eco-friendly initiatives.
Shirts for 1K participants and singlets for 3K, 5K and 10K runners were made of polyethylene terephthalate, or PET, a material processed from single-use plastic bottles.
Collapsible, reusable cups made of wheat straw were also included in every runner’s race kit.
