On March 10, we got together with our friends at SHELTER Athletics to host its first “One For One” charity running event in support of International Women’s Day. Comprised of eight women from the SHELTER community, the goal was to run one meter of track for every Hong Kong dollar raised in support of Harmony House, Hong Kong’s first anti-domestic violence shelter and non-profit.
In true Hong Kong fashion, though, the weather opened up on us — drenching the track, run team and supporters in a torrential downpour that lasted the whole day. But as luck would have it, we raised not only the initial target of HKD $100,000 through friends and family, but Warner Music HK / Warner Music Group DEI stepped in to match the initial amount, bringing the total to HKD $200,000 (more than $25,000 USD!).
With the fundraising target effectively smashed, the team went the full distance, running 200,000 meters of track (or a combined 500 laps). Big shout out to the donors and to our community who came out on a Sunday to support an important cause. Check out our recap of the day below and be sure to check out our first story on SHELTER Athletics here.
— Kristina
What THEY Were Running For
Harmony House was established in 1985 as the first shelter for abused women and their children in Hong Kong. Since then, they’ve developed into a comprehensive anti-domestic violence service agency with a wide range of preventive, therapeutic, and developmental programs to help families affected by domestic violence.
The proceeds from the One For One would be used to support Harmony House’s operations that cover both a diverse range of services including shelter, counselling, group services, and hotline services for men, women and children. They also organize community education programs, promote harmony in families, provide training, and advocate for policy and legislation on behalf of victims of violence, their families, and communities.
— Doris Lee, Executive Director of Harmony House
Meet The Team
Our run team for the day consisted of eight amazing women from the SHELTER Athletics community — each with varying levels of running experience but all with the same drive to rise to the occasion and go the distance.
— Carol
Thanks for the Support
We want to thank our partners Harmony House, donors and sponsors including Warner Music Hong Kong for their support. We’d also like to thank all of our friends and families that braved the cold, rainy weather to keep our team in high spirits throughout the challenge.
If you missed the event but still want to support Harmony House’s mission, they accept donations of money, materials, and time. And of course, if you’re in Hong Kong and looking to give back, consider joining SHELTER Athletics for future events.
The furthest I’d ever run was 10km, so there was nothing to compare to. Should I have trained more? Totally! But in the end, it was the other girls running beside me that made the difference. We became this kind of shared, unstoppable force.
Now that's something you can't train for.
That’s special.”
— Jessi, on the expectation versus the reality
