Launching 2011 as the International Year of Volunteers by the United Nations, the Philippine Red Cross marked its first ever Volunteer Run as a highlight of the celebration. The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) served as a driving force in advancing the spirit of volunteerism to address today’s humanitarian challenges and organized the Million Volunteer Run which was a record breaking run for humanity and was held on the 4th of December simultaneously in key cities and municipalities of the Philippines.

Here in Camarines Sur, the event was organized by the Philippine Red Cross, Officer-in-Charge, Ms. Clamrence Raquel  Abada who also acted as the event chair. Different College Red Cross Youth Councils were invited and one of these is the the Camarines Sur Polytechnic Colleges- Red Cross Youth Council (CSPC-RCYC) of Nabua  who successfully participated the Million Volunteer Run on December 4, 2011 held  at SM Naga City.

To join the volunteer run, participants were asked to pay a registration fee of  Php 100, inclusive of insurance and RC 143 scarf; Php 200 and Php 500 inclusive of shirt, race bib, RC 143 ID card, disaster preparedness guide, and whistle. 

The activity was attended by most academic institutions, business establishments and the private sector as well.  The public’s support for humanity is heartwarming. Runners registered composed mainly of students from the vicinity of Naga, Red Cross Volunteers, and the Camarines Sur Polytechnic Colleges-Red Cross Youth Council and marathon enthusiasts. All registered participants for the Red Cross Million Volunteer Run will become official Red Cross 143 volunteers and the first responders and blood donors in any catastrophic event in the Philippines.

The start of the assembly time was 5:00 in the morning with the number of volunteer runners increasing. The registration and release of running kits were also continued. The CSPC-RCYC arrived 15 minutes before the race and attended to their personal needs before gathering at the area.

The countdown started 10 seconds before the scheduled time of the race. The race started exactly at 6:00 am as the organizers signaled for the start of the activity at the SM Naga. The streets of Naga were covered by a large crowd of red, making the Red Cross’ desire to bring awareness to the public about the importance of volunteers in humanitarian work and the race ended at the finish line in SM where a program was held until 8:00 am.

The program highlighted with the awarding of tokens of appreciation to the  runners who  finished first  the race. One of the Philippine Red Cross, Camarines Sur Chapter Board of Director said the five-kilometer run was intended to raise awareness on disaster risk reduction and to raise funds to train 143 volunteers in the country.

True to its title, the marathon hopes to gather a million participants in celebration of the International Volunteers Day. Aside from aiming to heighten public awareness in reducing disaster risks and vulnerability of the community and raising money to fund the humanitarian activities of the Philippine Red Cross, another aim of the nationwide event is to make history by breaking the Guiness World Book of Records.