Cedarwood School took part in the Great Big Virtual Race on 1 May.
The race consists of participants running or cycling 1 000km until 31 August in order to raise funds for remedial schools that support and educate learners with special needs.
Individuals or teams of up to six people are encouraged to enter and post their progress on social media.
Event coordinator, Philippa Fabbri said the whole event started with Eastern Cape parent, Liz Bain who decided to run
1 000km in four months to raise funds for her son’s school in Central Gqeberha, Elsen Academy, which felt the impact of Covid-19.
“Some parents were left without work and unable to pay fees. Liz and her friend, Sandy Rubin, will both be running the full 1 000km on their own,” she said.
“Elsen Academy decided to extend this challenge to other schools across South Africa which cater for children with neuro-diversities such as Autism Spectrum Disorder, and launched its Great Big Virtual Race South Africa on World Autism Day on 2 April.”
Marketing manager at Cedarwood School, Sarah de Lange said the school decided to take part in the race to get the greater community involved, and for people to know about the school and what they do for learners.
Within the school, she said the aim is to also build the atmosphere of team spirit. “People and teams can run or cycle for a specific cause, like awareness around anxiety or dyslexia.
“They can participate in this challenge to raise awareness around any number of things related to remedial education in order to create a greater awareness.”
De Lange said there are also teams set up in Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom to create and raise more awareness, locally and globally.
“Funds raised will go to these independent schools. There is a dire shortage of state schools for children with special educational needs, hence private schools have stepped in to fill the gap. “However, the small teacher-pupil ratios make it expensive – hence the need to fundraise to help families with the school fees,” concluded Fabbri.
