KUALA LUMPUR: Chun Hahn, 17, who is autistic, faces many challenges daily but his face lit up with happiness at an opportunity to take part in the KL Bar Run 2024 at the Metropolitan Park in Kepong, with other special needs participants in 12 teams, joining more than a thousand lawyers in a baton race yesterday.
All 30 participants were specially coached and trained under Sports Care2Run, a social enterprise founded in 2015 by Prem Kumar (a psychologist), Chia Mee Leng (a tax consultant) and Tan Lay Geok, fondly known as LG (a lawyer who acts as the liaison between Sports Bar Committee and the Sports Care2Run team).
The founders are from different backgrounds but their common purpose is to transform the lives of youngsters with special needs, such as autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, slow learners and Down syndrome through individualised sports developmental programmes.
The KL Bar Run is an annual event and participation, which covers all levels of the Bar, comprised practising lawyers and the judiciary, with the difference being Care2Run participants have their own teams and a volunteer pacer, who follows them during the 3.5km distance, with four special needs participants in each team.
Prem, who heads the team, said Care2Run was first invited to participate in the KL Bar Run in 2018 and the collaboration has successfully carried on, attracting more participants.
“This is the fifth year and the number has grown over the years with full participation of parents, volunteers and most importantly, individual sponsors who have not only sponsored the registration of the special needs children but also their prizes.”
Former race director of Care2Run Lilian Lee said she witnessed first-hand the benefits of sports for special needs and underprivileged children.
“I have seen children transformed through their participation in the programme. Therefore, when the KL Bar Sports Committee came up with the idea of collaborating with a charitable organisation for the KL Bar Run, I recommended Care2Run to the Sports Committee.
“There are not many races that provide opportunities for these children to race.
“For the first year, we got lawyers-volunteers to run alongside some of the children. In recent years, Care2Run has sufficient volunteers and supporters to take care of the children. Some of the children from the initial programme have become mentors.
“I commend the race directors for this year, Kevin Wong and Soo Siew Mei, for the success of the run,” she said.
