Modern Living

See why we run

November 19, 2011 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines - Both running and reading need discipline and focus to achieve sustainability, “ says Margarita Delgado, co-founder and president of Sa Aklat Sisikat Foundation (SAS). “Both provide an individual with some sense of well-being — education keeps the mind healthy while running keeps the body fit.”

The HSBC 2011 Anniversary Fun Run on Nov. 26, which the bank is holding to celebrate its 136th year in the Philippines, will have all proceeds going to SAS, a non-profit organization that promotes the love and habit of reading among Filipino children.

“We held our first run last year to celebrate a milestone — our 135th year in the Philippines. We originally envisioned this as a one-time initiative, but the run was so successful and the demand overwhelming that we decided to make it a yearly event,” said HSBC president and CEO Tony Cripps.

HSBC has been supporting SAS for the past eight years and their partnership has helped 650,000 students, 9,000 teachers and 285 principals all over the country largely through two pioneering programs developed jointly by HSBC and SAS: the HSBC Principals Leadership Enhancement and Development (LEAD) Program (HSBC PLP) and Kinder College.

Josie Natori, fashion designer, CEO and founder of The Natori Company, designs HSBC Anniversary Run singlet.

The HSBC PLP seeks to empower public school principals and develop their leadership skills so they can more effectively establish innovative learning communities. The HSBC Kinder College program was designed to equip preschool teachers with the proper skills, tools and mindset needed to transform their schools into progressive learning communities.

“When we begin to see an improvement in the scores of our students in their competency exams; when we see reenrollment rates increasing every year at all grade levels; when we see an increase in the completion rates of secondary students and an increase in entry to tertiary educational institutes, then we can be encouraged,” added Delgado. “This would indicate that the Filipino student is improving his/her reading skills as well as his/her critical thinking skills.”

This year HSBC asked Josie Natori to design the race singlet, which has generated so much excitement among those who plan to join the fun run. The singlet design features a distinctively stylized Japanese character (for the word Natori) and is inspired by her latest collection, “The Way of the Samurai.”

Johanna Garcia, SVP and head, group communications and corporate sustainability, HSBC and Ian Giron, designer, The Natori Company

“I was very happy to contribute to an event that not only promotes fitness and health, but also helps a worthy foundation like SAS make headway in its work to improve the reading proficiency of children. Like HSBC and SAS, I strongly believe that reading should be part of every child’s life,” quipped Josie Natori. “We as a company try to encourage everyone on the Natori team to stay fit and to keep positive — this is a perfect combination.”

The HSBC Anniversary Fun Run 2011 will be held on Nov. 26 at the SM Mall of Asia grounds. The event has 3K, 5K, and 10K categories, while children 12 years old and below can participate in two 100-meter dash events (categorized by age).

“We are thrilled to have been chosen as HSBC’s beneficiary for this year’s run. Our partnership with HSBC has been a long and productive one, and this latest show of support from them and Josie Natori will go a long way towards improving the quality and reach of public school education in the Philippines,” added SAS co-founder and chairperson Lizzie E. Zobel.

“All registrants get a chance to join a special raffle draw where the lucky winner gets two Cathay Pacific round-trip tickets to London. The race winners in each category will each receive a non-transferable round-trip ticket to Hong Kong,” said HSBC’s SVP and head of group communications and corporate sustainability, Johanna Garcia.