On a muggy and windless 7 September morning, about 550 students, staff and beneficiaries gathered for the Singapore Management University (SMU)’s signature annual charity event - SMU Challenge: Walk for Good.

The air horn sounded at 10 minute intervals, signaling the respective flag-offs for each wave of participating walkers. These included students from Co-Curricular Activities (CCAs) like SMU Caretalyst, SMU Red Cross, SMU Rotaract Club, and SMU Uni-Y, where they began their 3km amble up and around Fort Canning Hill, starting from an inflatable arch at Campus Green.

There was neither fanfare nor prizes to be won at this non-competitive event; just the company of good friends, and a unified goal to walk for good in support of individuals with special needs from the Mountbatten Vocational School (MVS).

Though some walkers started off a tad sluggish, their morning lethargy quickly wore off once they discovered additional company in the form of augmented reality characters who joined them midway on the trail.

With support from National Heritage Board, participants who downloaded the BALIKSG app were able to interact with historical personalities and relive events from eras past at specific points enroute, which added a new dimension to the walk. Participants travelled back in time to learn the history of Fort Canning Hill (or Bukit Larangan as it was known) its early local inhabitants and famous British explorers, traced the origins of the Singapore Stone and its connection to legendary local Hercules, Badang. But these were more than just retelling of grandmother tales; interwoven into these were messages of courage, compassion and unity – reminders of how our experiences and interaction can shape a shared future.

For community service events like SMU Challenge, this is pertinent in how people come together to give back.

Second-year economics student Bryan Lum was encouraged by the event he chaired, “The best thing about SMU Challenge is seeing individuals from different backgrounds band together to walk in solidarity with our beneficiaries. Participants of the various engagement sessions and ‘Walk for Good’ finale event shared the common goal of serving the underprivileged community. Of course, knowing that SMU Challenge has made tangible changes to the lives of our beneficiaries through our engagement sessions and funds raised definitely warms my heart too.”

After the walk around Fort Canning Hill, participants were welcomed back at SMU with a bevy of stalls – manned by volunteers from SICS and ActiveSG - that offered snacks, drinks, second-hand clothes, and various carnival games. Items were “purchased” using coupons which came with their registration packages. Apart from these, participants who downloaded and synced Health Promotion Board’s Healthy 365 app were able to clock steps and redeem items like soya milk and water bottles, all of which were donated to the event’s beneficiary, MVS.

The 7 September walk around Fort Canning Hill marked the culmination of a series of engagement sessions, organised as part of SMU Challenge, such as Purple Outings, self-defence and inline skating workshops conducted for students from MVS.

SMU Challenge was first conceived in 2008, and raises awareness and funds for special needs individuals within our community. To date, it has raised over S$290,000 for various beneficiaries.

Featured Photo: Participants from Mountbatten Vocational School pose for a group picture just before embarking on their walk