Students around the Bay Area will join together to participate in the LIVERight 5k run/walk on Saturday, Nov. 11, at Stanford University to contribute to the $100,000 raised this Tuesday, Nov. 7 by the Asian Liver Center.
According to Thanh Tran, the Recruitment Specialist for LIVERight, the run will be organized by the Asian Liver Center, a non-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness of Hepatitis B and liver cancer.
Students from Stanford, UC Berkley, and San Jose State are expected to participate, as well as many students from surrounding high schools and other members of the Bay Area. Organizers are expecting about 700 runners and 100 volunteers.
"This fundraiser is crucial to ensuring the success of the Asian Liver Center and its programs," Tran said. "Knowing that your work is going towards a good cause makes every hour spent worthwhile."
According to Tran, the ALC depends on fundraisers like these to fund efforts, which will eradicate Hepatitis B.
This run is just one of the many things the Asian Liver Center has been doing to accomplish its goals. The Asian Liver Center has been attending health fairs, setting up information booths, offering free screening and vaccination days in the community, as well as advocating for change in public policy to promote testing for Hepatitis B among high-risk minority populations.
"Lot’s of people don’t know about vaccines for Hepatitis B," senior Alex Ji,who plans on attending the run, said.
According to Ji, other members of the Paly cross country team are also hoping to participate.
"I would love to see Paly students at LIVERight," Tran said. "It is a great opportunity for students to join the fight against Hepatitis B and liver cancer and find out more about the Asian Liver Center and our high school outreach program, (Jade Ribbon Youth Council.)"
The registration is from 7:30 a.m.-8:30 a.m. on Sand Hill Field at Stanford University and the race will start at 9 a.m. After the run there will be carnival games and award ceremonies for the runners with the fastest times and for the runners who raise the most money.
Students can sign up this week to participate and can request community service hours for their involvement. Team registration closes on Nov. 10. Tickets for adults are $25, students $20, team members $15, and children under 12 are free. Teams must be a minimum of 10 people. Same-day registration costs an extra $5. All registration fees go towards programs to fight Hepatitis B. You can also register online at www.liveright2006.com.
According to Tran, about 350-400 million people are affected by Hepatitis B worldwide, 10 percent of which are Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. These high infection rates make Hepatitis B 10 times more prevalent than AIDS.
In response to this problem, the Asian Liver Center hopes to run screening and vaccination projects in San Jose this year. Last year, a similar project in San Francisco screened patients every other Saturday for almost a year according to Tran. The ALC has also been involved in reaching out to the Vietnamese community, funding their "3-for-Life program", and promoting the ongoing Quinghai Vaccination Project in which they aim to vaccinate 60,000 children in China, according to Tran.