On 24 September, four AUGUSTMAN editorial staff will be running a marathon for a good cause. Fashion and philanthropy are topics close to our hearts so we decided to marry the two by running in suits (that’s right, suits!) during the ASICS City Relay Singapore run to raise funds for Global Clinic, a non-profit organisation comprising medical and non-medical volunteers and AUGUSTMAN’s chosen charity for 2016.
Based in Singapore, Global Clinic organises missions to “under-served communities around the world with the purpose of directing [their] skills, expertise and time to serving those who suffer from a lack of medical care due to poverty or poor access to medical infrastructure”.
You might be wondering: “What is my money going to and why should I donate to this Global Clinic campaign?” The funds that we’re raising from this campaign is financing a mission to Cambodia, tentatively happening in December 2016, where doctors and volunteers, travelling on their own dime, will be carrying out cataract and cleft lip surgeries for the less fortunate. The money will be used to buy equipment and other essentials for the surgeries. A cataract operation costs approximately US$100, and a cleft lip surgery might be around US$400. It’s inexpensive to most of us, but for those in rural places where they frequently live from hand to mouth, it’s a fortune.
And what about the ‘why’? After all there are a plethora of causes out there asking for your hard-earned money. Truthfully all of these causes also deserve your time, attention and donations just as much as we do, if not more. The question is: which do you identify with? For us in publishing, sight is such a vital sense. It lets us view the beauty and magnificence of this globe, interact with our loved ones, and experience life in its full-coloured glory. To have your sight robbed before your time is akin to cutting off your limb, and to give the gift of sight to those in need might not mean a lot to you, but means the world to the person who has had his or her sight restored. And all for just a few dollars.
So do come down to the ASICS City Relay Singapore, happening on 24 September, to see a bunch of men in suits huffing and puffing their way to complete a marathon. By golly, we’ll drag our aching carcasses over the finish line, if it means a few more less fortunate people enjoying the gift of sight. Donate here. We truly appreciate your generosity.