19 September 2015 – More than RM 170, 000 was raised at the International Medical University (IMU) Chariofare 2015, a Charity Run and Carnival with all the proceeds going to charity. The enthusiasm of the participants and the generosity and goodwill of sponsors, donors, volunteers and supporters made this IMU Chariofare a truly memorable event. Held at the IMU’s Bukit Jalil Campus in Kuala Lumpur, the theme for this event is ‘Live.Run.Love.’ The event was organised to provide support to four beneficiaries: Penang Hospice Society, Ti-Ratana Welfare Society, Rumah Victory and IMU Cares Disaster Fund. 
Our guest of honour for this year’s event were two well-known sports personalities: Farah Ann Abdul Hadi – gold medalist gymnast in the 28th Southeast Asian Games and Sharon Wee – Malaysia’s former No. 1 squash player. Their presence made the event even more meaningful as they shared and encouraged fellow participants to continue striving for excellence be it in the arena of sports or life while sharing tips on being successful. Winners were overjoyed to receive their medals and hampers from both Farah Ann and Sharon Wee respectively. 
The highlight of the event is the Charity Run which saw 1500 enthusiastic participants from ages 5 to 62 completing the run despite the lingering haze. Safety precautions were taken into consideration with 3ply masks provided for all participants and emergency team on standby. The run has a total of 6 categories: 10km for male and female, 5km for male and female, a 3km Fun Run Category, and a Team Challenge Category. Each participant received a free IMU Chariofare t-shirt, a certificate of participation and a goodie bag. Flag off was at 6:30 am after a short warm-up exercise. This year, we saw the participation of ten children from Lighthouse Children Welfare Home enjoying themselves in the 3km Fun Run. 
These ten children were part of the 79 children from various homes: Ti-Ratana Welfare Society, Rumah Victory Children & Youth Home, Home of Peace and Lighthouse Children Welfare Home who attended the IMU Chariofare. The children, from the ages of 6 years old to 17 years old, were given two books of vouchers each which they used at the carnival. These vouchers were donated by our generous sponsors. The event also saw two lucky draw sessions where lucky winners walked away with prizes ranging from a Cruise for two from Star Cruises, a LED 39” TV, iPads, entrance ticket to Kidzania, Legoland and Puteri Harbour Family Theme Park and other 7” tablets. 
Besides the run, there were over 60 unique stalls setup by students and staff of International Medical University (IMU), International Medical College (IMC) and IMU Healthcare. The spirit of camaraderie was seen among staff and students providing an array of delicacies, fresh vegetables, unique food and beverage concoctions, merchandise and even quick health check from dental screenings to medical screenings to chiropractic and Chinese medicine therapies. Spoiled for choices, participants and visitors were also entertained with lively music, performances and games. 
IMU Chariofare is an annual event of IMU Cares to raise money for identified charities. It consists of a charity run and a carnival. The event is managed by a Student Organising Committee comprising primarily of Semester 1 students with IMU staff as advisors. This event is also supported by the IMU Foundation and partnered by Pantai Hospital. Both IMU and Pantai Hospital are the subsidiaries of IHH Healthcare Berhad, one of the largest listed private healthcare providers in the world based on market capitalization. The IMU Foundation was set up to fund community projects that are conducted by IMU staff and students. IMU Chariofare attracted over 3,000 participants of public, students and staff and their families. The success of the event is also from generous contributions and support of sponsors, partners in the industry and the community. This year’s Diamond Sponsor was MSIG. 
For the last three years, the total amount raised was about RM 500, 000. The entire proceeds goes to charity. Watch a video on the event by clicking here. Related stories: IMU Hands Over Charity Cheque to 2015 Chariofare Beneficiaries
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