Author: Jake Lin and Olivia Lin
A year ago, we sat in the grand music concert hall at Monash University, completely in awe of the incredible pianists performing at the Jiayuan Charity concert. These pianists were mostly around our age, yet their performances were elegant, breathtaking, and deeply moving. Each note they played felt flawless, and their music touched my heart in a way I hadn’t experienced before.
But what stood out the most wasn’t just the music—it was the purpose behind it. The concert’s theme, “children helping children,” carried a powerful message. The goal was to raise awareness and funds to support children who are homeless and living in extremely challenging circumstances. As we walked out of the concert, we felt a spark ignite inside. We have been involved in Jiayuan charity for the past three years and we were determined to do something to make a difference.
The idea to organise a charity fun run came to us a few days later. Our dad had participated in the Nike Melbourne Marathon the previous year and often spoke about how exhilarating the experience was. That got us thinking—why not use this event to bring people together while raising money for a meaningful cause through Jiayuan Charity, supporting children suffering from abuse? We decided to invite our friend Andrew to join us in organising and promoting the charity fun run event at our schools.
Together, we designed posters with details of the charity run. We also prepared a short speech to share our idea at our schools – Camberwell Grammar School and Presbyterian Ladies College, focusing on raising awareness and encouraging participation. When we shared our idea to our teacher and classmates, we were a bit nervous, but their enthusiasm gave us a lot of confidence. After that, we shared our plan with the entire junior school during assembly and the response was fantastic.
To build excitement leading up to the big day, we hosted a warm-up fun run event at Camberwell Grammar school so that all the boys in the junior school could join in. We set up a short course around the oval and the energy that day was incredible. Everyone was running and cheering, and it felt like we were coming together as a community for something bigger than ourselves.
Along the way, we also received incredible support from parents, whose enthusiasm inspired students from both public and private schools to take action. They helped spread awareness and gathered donations within their own schools and communities, making the initiative even more impactful.
Finally, the big day arrived, and the atmosphere was amazing. Around 100 of us gathered to take part in the event — kids and parents from Jiayuan charity, schoolmates, and friends. Together, we ran 2.5km for a great cause and crossed the finish line at the MCG. In total over, $1,100 was raised in donation, with all funds going towards supporting children suffering abuse via Anchor Care Community.
This experience taught us so much. We learned that charity work is about showing kindness and standing up for what’s right. We also learned how important it is to be persistent, even when things are hard. Most of all, we learned that everyone can make a difference. We are grateful for the support from the parents and youths in Jiayuan Charity, our schools, communities and the people who kindly donated. Together we took a small step forward helping children in need, but we are sure this is just the start of something truly special.
