Public invited to the first ‘Walk ‘N Roll’ fundraiser

In the spirit of the holiday season, Imperial Pacific International, Ltd. will be holding today its first annual wellness event, “Light up the Night Holiday Walk ‘N Roll.”

This is a two-hour event that will begin at 6pm at the Garapan Fishing Base. Registration will be from 3:30pm to 5:30pm.

The purpose of this event is to encourage wellness activities and a healthier lifestyle within the workplace and encourage community involvement in the campaign of healthy living.

Geri Dela Cruz, Imperial Pacific International’s executive director for Corporate Social Responsibility, said, “This event initially started off as a wellness program; however, after collaboration with Ayuda Network, it became more of a fundraiser with which the proceeds will aid underprivileged families receive gifts this Christmas.”

“There are many positive impacts from this event. It’s a way to incorporate some sort of physical activity in the community, especially since the holiday parties have begun and at the same time, our way of helping underprivileged children receive gifts. There are many different organizations under the Ayuda Network umbrella who will be the well-deserving recipients of this fundraiser,” Dela Cruz added.

Helping conceive the idea of bringing together the fundraiser in time for the Christmas season, Franchesca Tomokane, former CSR representative, said, “I have always envisioned a solution to help underprivileged children feel loved during the holidays and what better way to make it happen than to have a walkathon to raise funds for gift-giving this Christmas.”

She added, “With the leadership of CSR executive director Geri Dela Cruz and the help of the CSR team, and in collaboration with Ayuda Network, this was all made possible, and I’m so excited to be a part of the event, as well as anticipating and seeing the outcome of it.”

Tomokane further added that today’s event was designed to increase morale in the community. “We want to ensure that even the littlest things could put a smile on a child’s face this Christmas.”

Ayuda Network is a human services agency that helps families in need and Imperial Pacific International chose them to be the beneficiary of the event and all proceeds will be distributed to other organizations under them that serve the same purpose.

“We are excited to meet with them and assist in distributing the gifts,” Dela Cruz said.

The “Light up the Night Holiday Walk ‘N Roll” will start at the Garapan Fishing Base and all the way to the Quartermaster Tank and back. Registration will begin from 3:30pm to 5:30pm, with the option to pay the registration fee of $10 or waive the fee by contributing a gift with a price value ranging from $5 to $10. There will be refreshments and water provided to all participants.

There will be a judging competition consisting of the “Most Lit Outfit of the Night,” which will be inclusive of the contestant’s own props. There are prizes at stake for first, second, and third place winners. All proceeds from the event will be used to purchase Christmas gifts for children.

In line with this event, Imperial Pacific International will also be setting up a toy drive. There are designated drop-off boxes located at a few locations of Imperial Pacific International; at the reception area on the third floor of the Bank of Guam building and at the Finance Department. And to promote the charitable act of gift-giving within all IPI casino staff, a drop-off box can also be found at the employee lounge of the casino.

All IPI employees are invited to drop off new, unwrapped toys during regular business hours from Monday through Friday, excluding holidays, between the hours of 8am and 5pm. The deadline for the toy drive is Dec. 16, 2016.