On March 11th, YCIS Shanghai’s Regency Park and Century Park campuses held the school’s fourth annual “Make a Difference” MAD Run, a 5km fun-run inspired by the global Terry Fox Run and organised by Year 12 students at the Century Park Campus. The event raised more than 35,000 RMB, and the students have chosen to donate the money to the hospice, Hand in Hand. Hand in Hand is dedicated to treating terminally ill patients with a special focus on cancer patients. 

The Year 12 students planned the structure of the event, organised the logistics and marketing for the run, and also managed the many student volunteers who handled various aspects of the event. Their hard work and dedication made the event an enormous success.

After a cold winter, spring stepped in to provide a warm day with blue skies for the event: a vast change from the rain present during the previous two years of the run. Hundreds of members of the YCIS community came together under the sunshine to run, walk, or bike the 5km in their bright white MAD Run t-shirts.

Students guided participants along the course, toward the finish line and the free ice-cream awaiting all who crossed it. Afterward, attendees enjoyed music performances by students and parents, a fantastic raffle, activity booths for younger children, and a variety of delicious food options.

Constanza, one of the student organisers of the Run, summed up the event saying, “The MAD Run was a life experience, teaching everyone involved in the organising many useful lessons about raising money and awareness for a good cause, all while providing a fun and entertaining day for all those involved. We all truly made a difference. 

YCIS empowers students to create, develop, and manage meaningful initiatives like MAD Run, and to use their passion and talents to help spread love and charity in their local community and beyond.

To learn more about other ways YCIS students make a difference in the community, please click here.