'People always show up’: 19th annual Run for Vaughan hits stride despite rainy weather

Runs will be hosted in various cities across Canada in the coming weeks

Yorkregion.com
Sept. 27, 2022
Brian Capitao

A wet and rainy day didn’t damper spirits as members of the community gathered for the 19th annual Run for Vaughan.

On Sunday, Sept. 25, participants got together at North Maple Regional Park to raise money for the newly built Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital.

The run, organized by the Ahmadiyya Muslim community, has been a cornerstone event in Vaughan for many years.

“We grew up in Vaughan our whole lives. We've been part of Run for Vaughan since it started back like 18, 19 years ago. We've always been running. It's just been something we grew up doing. Our families always said, 'Make a donation and build a hospital.' And now we have that hospital there,” said Wasef Ahmad, a 26-year-old real-estate lawyer.

Now with the hospital built, the money raised will go to support programs and operational costs.

“We just got our new hospital, but we still need a lot of money to help to bring the appropriate programs and to make sure that it operates properly. So, the only way is to bring communities in to help out, because if we just depend on government, it doesn't work. The government has only so much money,” said Coun. Sandra Yeung Racco.

The spirit of giving is intertwined with the Islamic faith. Zakat, one of the five Pillars of Islam, is about giving and sharing wealth as form of almsgiving. Zakat is considered a religious duty for all Muslims who meet a certain threshold of wealth.

“So, things like this, events like this, we do all for the charity and support of other communities,” said Zain Siddiqui, a runner in the five-kilometre race.

For Siddiqui, the act of giving is of great spiritual significance. It means coming together as a community.

“There's a sign right there says ‘love for all, hatred for none’; that's something we inherit personally, and we take it into good faith,” said Siddiqui.

The event had over 2,000 volunteers working to make sure everything went as planned.

While the rain was not ideal, the community banded together to push through.

“No matter the weather, no matter when it's happening, people always show up,” said Wasef Ahmad.

Organizer Zohaib Malhi tells the Vaughan Citizen the Run for Vaughan is their flagship run but has grown into other cities as part of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community’s charitable work. Runs have even expanded across the nation from British Columbia to Nova Scotia.

“We are taking days off from our work, from our family time and just giving back to the hospital to the community, because Canada is a very beautiful place to call home,” said Zohaib Malhi, chair of Run for Vaughan.