RUN FOR A REASON... My competitive spirit always seems to get the best of me, so when my good friend West Riggs told me he was going to run the full Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon, I couldn't possibly let him pursue his quest alone. The endeavor is even more appealing to me given the official motto of this year's jaunt: "RUN FOR A REASON". MY REASON TO RUN? If you have spoken with me for even as little as five minutes in the past five years, you probably already know my passion and my reason - To raise funds to support the strongest, most courageous and most resilient people I have ever met - my refugee clients. I began working as a volunteer attorney at the Hong Kong Refugee Advice Centre (HKRAC) in February 2008. I represented refugees who arrived in Hong Kong and were seeking protection from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Later I started HKRAC's clinical partnerships with the University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University of Hong Kong to educate and train Hong Kong law students in providing legal services to refugees. Through my work with HKRAC, I have met innocent children, determined teenagers, devoted parents and passionate grandparents who have had to run distances much longer than 26.2 miles to save their lives. My run will HONOR their STRENGTH, COURAGE and RESILIENCE. The night before I run, I will enjoy a delicious pasta dinner with my children, husband and friends before going to sleep in my warm bed. The night before the refugees I represented ran, many of them witnessed their loved ones being murdered, their homes burnt to the ground and their land destroyed. While I run, I will celebrate all of you who are supporting me, my clients and this cause. Hopefully, I will also see many of your faces cheering me along as I run. While my clients ran, they feared for their lives and they mourned the loss of their family members. When I finish my run, I will celebrate life surrounded by my children, my husband and my friends before I go to sleep again in my warm bed. When my clients arrived in Hong Kong, they did not finish their runs. They may have celebrated the safety of Hong Kong, but they did not go to sleep in a warm bed, and their runs are far from over. They have not arrived home. They are not surrounded by their family and their friends. They have their STRENGTH, COURAGE and RESILIENCE, but they are also filled with heartache, pain and uncertainty. My run and your donation will help to alleviate some of that heartache, pain and uncertainty. Your donation will help HKRAC provide legal representation for refugees in Hong Kong. Your donation will help my clients cross their finish line. Thank you for joining me in CELEBRATING HUMAN STRENGTH, COURAGE AND RESILIENCE! HOW TO GIVE: Click on the "Donate Now" button in the top right corner of this page or contact me directly to discuss other options. NOTE THAT 780 HKD equals roughly 100 USD. BENEFITING: Hong Kong Refugee Advice Centre EVENT: Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon 2013 EVENT DATE: 24 February 2013 TARGET AMOUNT: 400,000 HKD Believe it and it will happen! Through simplygiving.com you can make safe and secure donations to sponsor me. The proceeds of your support are immediately sent directly to the HKRAC. Using this given platform is really simple and most importantly it's also a really cost efficient way for HKRAC to raise funds. My page allows you to follow my progress; share it with friends; voice encouragement or even join me and get involved yourself! THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU!!!