Letter Dash: An Advocacy to Benefit Children with Dyslexia (LD:ABCD)
When In Manila, we run for a cause!
Summer is the season of beach trips and sun bathing and for many students, a chance to kick back and relax after a grueling year of academic work. When in Manila, summer is also the season of marathons and fun runs. What better way to run than running for a cause?
For the second time around, the Philippine Dyslexia Foundation and Wordlab School, Inc. continues its advocacy in spreading awareness about learning disabilities by hosting “Letter Dash: An Advocacy to Benefit Children with Dyslexia” or LD:ABCD. The fun run’s main aim is to spread information about dyslexia, a learning disability that manifests as a difficulty in reading and writing printed symbols.
This year, the run started at 4:00pm on April 6, 2014 and was again held at the UP Diliman Academic Oval in Quezon City. Various students and family members of the school community swapped their beach sandals for running shoes and came to register for the run at 2:30 sharp despite the on-off rain to overcast weather. Teacher Erik Santiago and Teacher Isabel Neri, the energetic organizers of the run were there to assist the running enthusiasts along with the many Wordlab teachers and PTA members stationed at the many booths around the AS parking lot.
While waiting for the run to start, some participants and even teachers enjoyed bouncing around and getting stuck a few feet in the air in Air Art’s sticky wall which was a new addition to the event this year. The presence of security personnel from the UP Diliman Police and a Valucare ambulance on standby ensured the safety of the participants.
Before the run officially started, perky hosts Gerald Dinglasa and Stephanie Jallrina called upon Mrs. Rowena Sadicon, the President of the Parents and Teachers Association (PTA), to officially welcome the runners and open the event. Amid cheers from their teachers and parents, the ambitious runners for the 2.2K and 6.6K geared up for challenging yet fun-filled run.
While the run was ongoing, Gerald and Stephanie kept the remaining audience on their feet by sharing interesting trivia about learning disabilities while congratulating every runner who crossed the finish line. After the run, student and non-student winners were each awarded with a roundtrip Air Asia Zest tickets to any domestic destination while the runners up received an overnight hotel accommodation to any Crown Regency Hotel and Resort and a Php 1000 gift certificate from Janilyn shoes.
As the last of the runners crossed the finish line, the run ended with a short message from Teacher Faye Casis, the School Director of Wordlab School. The exhausted but accomplished runners enjoyed their freebies from Rice in a Box, Magnolia Purewater and Barako Bull Energy Cola. In the end, not only did the runners improve their fitness and bond with their friends and family, they were also able to spread awareness about dyslexia in the process! Whatever the results, there’s always a good reason to go for a run when in Manila.
