On the 10th November, Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Temple Christchurch and BLIA South Island held the 2023 VEGRUN, the Global Veg-revival Virtual Community Run which launched by Taiwan iPure Green Foundation. The event took place at Hornby High School in Christchurch, with Principal Iain Murray, Vice-Principal Karen Wheeler, and over 230 students participating.
Minister in Charge of FGS South Island, Venerable Juexi, BLIA South Island Vice President James Low, committee member Kokwei Low and two other BLIA members were present to support the students. This year, the charity event responded to the call “You run, I plant trees” by donating one tree to be planted for every 10 kilometres run. This initiative aimed at environmental conservation, and as a result, 60 trees were donated through the collective running of the teachers and students.
Before the run began, Venerable Juexi shared with the students that the importance of caring for the Earth, emphasizing our collective responsibility for the environment. Principle Iain, expressed his gratitude to FGS Christchurch Team for arranging the running event on their campus, noting that it promoted physical and mental health, discipline, and environmental awareness among the students. The students felt proud to contribute to environmental protection and found the event meaningful, especially as it connected them with BLIA members worldwide.
After the run, Venerable Juexi gave out apples to the participants and presented a Three Acts of Goodness BLIA Cup Basketball to the school as a token of appreciation. The basketball symbolized the BLIA Cup International Basketball Tournament held at the Headquarters of FGS, Taiwan. FGS New Zealand had sent two teams, both male and female to Taiwan in August this year to participate in the Tournament, and they both won third place. After hearing this, Principal Murray praised FGS for organizing such an event.
Hornby High School hava had good interactions with FGS Buddhist Temple Christchuch for many years and show strong support in the annual 3G4G Festival of Cultural Sharing and Midfulness event. It has been a significant event for the school, fostering a positive spirit and spreading joy in the local community.
