The weather forecast for Saturday, July 24, 2010 was “rain and thunderstorm" but by God’s grace, the KCCC Annual 5km Walkathon scheduled for the day went on smoothly without a drop of rain until long after it was over. And as in the past 4 years, it was a “fun” day for everyone who participated. As they say, it gets better every time.
The 5km walkathon is one of the annual events of the KCCC every year not only to raise funds for the centre but also to encourage people to live a healthier lifestyle and to bring the community together. It has been an effective tool to bring awareness of its existence and the services it offers to the general public.
The morning started off well. The weather notwithstanding, the participants lined up early to register and waited for the event to get started. At 8:30 A.M. the ribbon was cut by Mama Ching Quejas, and the race to the finish line began. The cooking brigade, led by Jimmy Villamater in his now familiar chef uniform and Chito Carbonell, event chair Benny Cuevillas, Pete Carin, Ben Montada and Del Palileo hurried to prepare breakfast and when the walkers finally arrived the Pinoy breakfast was ready for them all. The fare, sinangag sa bawang, longanisa, tapa, daing na bangus, tuyo, itlog cooked as you like it, itlog na pula with kamatis, dilis, champorado, adobo, keso, pan de sal and assorted fruits, all donated by the members of the KCCC board and volunteers were overflowing. Benny Cuevillas, event chair thanked all for their respective roles and said grace before the meal.
After breakfast, prizes were awarded to the champions: first on the finish line was Nick Alo, a regular who always placed in the top 3 in previous walks; runner-up was Dan Palis and third prize went to a guest from the US, a 31 year-old physician who was also awarded the “youngest runner”. Other prize awardees were: Thelma Cantos for collecting the most pledges, Dioning Sebastian for oldest participant, the Bayanihan group for biggest delegation and Willie Cantos for “early bird”’. Othe groups represented in the walk were: International Association of Mapua Alumni-Ontario, Lipa City Association of Canada, Filipino Seniors of Mississauga and others.
In the end, everyone was a winner and each went home happy looking forward to the next coming event promising to be “there” again, God willing. It was another successful venture for the Kalayaan Centre.
