Kuala Lumpur, 22 September 2018 – IMU’s Chariofare this year was a great way for Malaysians to celebrate the end of both Merdeka and Malaysia Day celebrations as they gathered in unity at the annual charity run and fund-raising carnival. In its seventh year running, the run and carnival were held at IMU’s campus in Bukit Jalil with the theme “Igniting Path” which served as a reminder why the charity event was held in first place – that is for IMU students and staff as well as the public to come together and share their passion for making a difference and touching as many lives as possible through their actions for that one day. 
Despite cautious market sentiment, this year’s Chariofare successfully raised a total of RM260,000 through the overwhelming support of over 116 sponsors, well-wishers, IMU students and staff. The funds will go towards the IMU Cares Humanitarian Fund, which will be used to reach out and aid deserving underprivileged communities in the areas of healthcare, education and disaster relief. The fund was previously started as a Natural Disaster Fund for communities affected by natural disasters. In the past, money raised from Chariofare has benefitted victims of the Aceh Tsunami, Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, the Nepal Earthquake and closer to home, the flood victims in Kuala Krai, Kelantan.
“From the young to the old, from all walks of life – everyone gathered here at Chariofare to come together and do their part for humanity. Chariofare is indeed proof that regardless of race, social or religion, Malaysians are capable of putting their differences aside and do their best as a compassionate and altruistic nation,” said Prof Toh Chooi Gait, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Strategic Engagement and International, IMU.
“I am humbled to see so many of us gathered here today with the number of participants increasing each year. I hope that Chariofare will continue to inspire and motivate us to do more as individuals as well as members of the society. Chariofare is here to show to everyone that Malaysians care.” “We are also grateful to our 116 sponsors for helping us make Chariofare happen. They include Diamond Sponsor EXSIM, Platinum Sponsor MSIG, Gold Sponsors Amedix, Berjaya, KST, Parkway Pantai and VSEM Technology, and Silver Sponsors MichaelSoft DDS, IJM Land and Stream, and all our kind product sponsors. Thank you for your generous contributions,” said Prof Toh. 
A total of 1,759 participants, with the oldest being 74 years old, gathered early in the morning for the charity run that consisted of eight categories from a 3km Fun Run to 10km Men, Women and Team Challenge. The race flagged off at 6:30am and ended at 9:00am. Despite the early morning roll call, there were enthusiastic and smiley faces all around with participants’ eager to get going and running. Some runners even came dressed in costumes and tutus, adding a fun element to the run. 
The children’s 3km Fun Run was the most exciting with children as young as 2 years old taking part. This year’s theme for the Fun Run is ‘Splash of Hope’ whereby participants and their parent/guardian could decorate a canvas along the route. The artworks saw participants expressing their greatest hopes through creatively designing their message with their handprints. Hampers worth RM200 each were awarded to the winners of the Best Artwork, Most Creative and Best Photograph categories. 
Winners for the Chariofare run were presented with medals, gifts, hampers, and for the Team Challenge cash prizes of RM3,000 for first place, RM2,000 for second place, RM1,000 for third, fourth and fifth placements of which the teams were allowed to choose and donate the money to their appointed beneficiaries. Meanwhile, the first 2,000 runners from all categories received a Finisher’s medal each. Returning again for Chariofare were representatives from MSIG who took part in the 10km Team Challenge. Naming themselves Superfeet, the team was this year’s winners in the category, taking home with them RM3,000 to donate to a beneficiary of their own, a trophy, an Alba watch each and engraved medals. They had previously won second place the last time they participated in Chariofare. 
“It was quite encouraging for us to win second place then, which was why we were motivated to come back this year. We are very happy to come in first place and we definitely look forward to the next run,” said team member Khong Mun Fatt. Also commenting on the event is Suresh Kumar, an IMU lecturer in Pharmacy Practice, School of Pharmacy. Together with his wife and young daughter, they took part in the 3km Fun Run, a first for the family. “It is really exciting to see a crowd gathering in the morning. I usually participate in the carnival but this year we wanted to participate as a family,” he said. His seven-year-old daughter Meha won the Best Artwork prize for her handprint art during the Fun Run. Happening on the same day as the run was a fund-raising carnival held from 8:30am to 1:30pm. There were 62 booths in total ranging from food and beverage stalls, flea market stalls, healthcare products, games and activities. Among the popular booths were the “Dunk Me If You Can” booth where IMU students raised over RM2,000 to dunk IMU’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Education, Prof Peter Pook, and the Galaxy Booth for Children by IMU Student Ambassadors which saw an array of intergalactic activities. 
Visitors to the fair were also given medical health screening including body mass index (BMI) readings, blood pressure and blood glucose level readings as well as visual acuity and consultation by the IMU Healthcare team. Oral health screening options were also available such as dental screening, polishing and whitening, while visitors were offered chiropractic health screening and Traditional Chinese Medicine advice as well. Representatives from the Tun Hussein Onn National Eye Hospital were also present to provide free eye screenings. 
Aside from the food and games, fair visitors were treated to a morning of performances. Returning for another year is CreArts’ performing troupes that mesmerised the audience with their flexibility and aerial performances. IMU students also took the stage by storm showcasing their talents through singing, dance and instrumental performances. 
The highlight was the lucky draw event whereby early bird registrants for the run as well as those who bought coupons for the carnival were qualified to win amazing prizes. A total of RM41,000 worth of prizes, including the grand prize which is a 3 Days 2 Nights stay for two in a four-star resort at Phuket, were given out to the lucky winners, wrapping up another successful year for IMU’s Chariofare.
“Through Chariofare, we give people a chance to contribute to the community because Malaysians are generous people. Students also gain from Chariofare because they learn about organisation skills and how to work as a team as well as take initiative – it is an excellent form of experiential learning and soft skills. Meanwhile for IMU staff, Chariofare allows them to do something very tangible, very real to raise money for charity. This year in particular, IMU staff took the initiative to sell things way before the event. This makes Chariofare a unifying factor for staff, students and the public – all in the name of charity,” says Prof Ong Kok Hai, Advisor, Community Engagement.
More photos are available at IMU Facebook and IMU Chariofare Facebook (Pre-event, Carnival, Performances, Chequered Flag, Mid-Run, Flag-off). BEST BOOTH AWARD: IMU STUDENT AMBASSADORS BOOTH 
Photo credits for Best Booth: Jackie, Peh Jie Chee Watch the video for this event. Read about our previous years’ Chariofare: 2017: Heartbeating Moments on Malaysia Day at IMU Chariofare 2017 2016: IMU Brings Colour to Lives through its Charity Run and Carnival 2015: IMU Chariofare 2015 Breaks Record with more than RM 170, 000 Raised for Charity 2014: RM171,764 Raised for Four Beneficiaries at IMU Chariofare ’14 2013: IMU Chariofare 2013 – Students & Staff raise over RM150,000 for charity 2012: IMU Chariofare ’12
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