Remembering a loved one tends to trigger memories of the good times once shared. These recollections give you a chance to think of and talk about them, or take actions to honour a loved one who continues to be special and important.
We all have different ways of remembering someone we hold dear. September 25th is a special date for Kristel Wang. On this day ten years ago, Kristel’s father passed away due to a rare cancer, Malignant Peritoneal Mesothelioma. Having gone through the pain of losing her father, grandfather, and extended family members to cancer, this is a cause close to her heart.
To commemorate her late father’s 10th death anniversary, she decided to sign up for Singtel-Singapore Cancer Society Race Against Cancer 2021 to raise funds for the cancer community. The annual flagship event happened from 18-26 September 2021 which coincides with her father’s death anniversary date.
“I was inspired by a friend’s social media post,” Kristel shared “She is actually a beneficiary of SCS and is battling cancer. She also participated in the Race Against Cancer. I wanted to do something a little bit more memorable for my father’s 10th death anniversary, so I decided to sign up.”
Kristel actively shares updates of her run process on her social media.
Since it had always been Kristel’s dream to complete a marathon, she chose the 42km category and she committed to clocking the distance every single day throughout the event.
Receiving support from families and friends
The whole process was incredibly meaningful for Kristel whose initial fundraising target was $1,000 before she decided to increase the target to $10,000 to signify the tenth year of her father’s passing.
An Instagram Story on the first day of RAC 2021 to get support for her campaign.
“I signed up late, so I was conservative about how much I wanted to raise,” Kristel said with a laugh.
“My initial fundraising target was $1,000. However, when a few donations started to pour in, I thought more could be done, especially since I recalled raising a significant amount for another charity previously.”
To achieve her target, she personally reached out to her friends and families to donate, while constantly posting photos of her runs and personal reflections on her social media platforms.
“I felt very touched and blessed that people were so supportive,” Kristel said, “I received a lot of encouraging messages and I was amazed that people were so generous in donating. There is no amount too small, it is the thought that counts, along with the effort put in.”
“When it comes to fundraising, you have to be thick skin, put yourself out there and get used to rejections. At the end of the day, remember that you are doing it for a good cause.”
Her efforts paid off because Kristel was the top individual fundraiser for RAC 2021, raising a total of $14,595, 46% more than her target of $10,000!
Fundraising for a good cause
For many charities, peer-to-peer fundraising, in which individuals create personal campaigns, is one way to garner donations.
Kristel encourages individuals who want to kickstart a fundraising journey to find a cause that they are passionate about.
We would like to appeal to you to be an SCS Catalyst like Kristel. Every action counts – be it spreading the message for a healthier lifestyle, advocating for regular health screening, volunteering, or even rallying your community to raise funds. You too can be an SCS catalyst that inspires your community to fight cancer and reach out to those impacted by this disease.
Have a chat with us to find out more or you may submit your idea at https://www.singaporecancersociety.org.sg/get-involved/fundraise-for-us/start-your-own-fundraising-event.html .
The article was written by Daniel Yao from SCS Community Partnerships.