On her first day as a volunteer for the Mattel Children’s Hospital at UCLA, Amanda Maddahi was immediately inspired and made a promise to herself that, if she could, she would help raise funds to help the children in the hospital.
Soon after, Maddahi, a fourth-year psychobiology student, found the annual Run/Walk at UCLA as an outlet to fulfill this promise and is now co-director of the event.
On Sunday, UCLA will hold its ninth annual Run/Walk to help the Child Life/Child Development program at Mattel; students and community members will complete a five-kilometer route throughout the campus.
The Child Life/Child Development program caters to the social needs of children who have chronic diseases by providing a toy room, entertainment and various activities for the children.
Both Maddahi and co-director of Run/Walk at UCLA Wilson Lin said they are expecting this year’s Run/Walk to be a great success.
“We expect to have a larger turnout of participants and bigger energy for people supporting our cause,” Lin said. “We definitely also want to raise as much as we can and educate others about the pediatric patients and the program.”
The event will be hosted by Michael Chiklis, an actor from the “Fantastic Four” movies and the television show “The Shield.” There will also be live musical entertainment from the Elevaters, Burning Tree Project, JP and the Ambassadors, and Kazai Rex.
Since Run/Walk is a community event, there will be activities for everyone in the family to participate in, including jump-houses and a kid’s corner.
Lin, who volunteers for the hospital, said he sees firsthand how much the money helps the children, especially those who spend a lot of time in the hospital.
“It makes the children feel more comfortable,” he said. “It puts them more at ease in the hospital.”
Maddahi said this event generates an average of $30,000.
Last year, the revenues from Run/Walk at UCLA paid for the salary of a full-time staff member to take care of and help the children.
Those who wish to participate can still do so by going online to www.runwalk.ucla.edu or signing up at the event. It costs $20 dollars to enter individually or $15 if entered in a team of six or more.