By Esther Lauaki
Melanie Bugeja has been running to raise money for charity for nearly a decade.
Now she’s urging other parents to join in the fun.
Ms Bugeja will be taking on the 12.8-kilometre course in the Run for the Kids next month to help the Royal Children’s Hospital – her sixth year running.
The Caroline Springs kindergarten teacher and mum-of-two said the cause was close to her heart.
“I started doing it because I work with children at Creekside Kindergarten in Caroline Springs,” Ms Bugeja said.
“Unfortunately, a lot of children that I work closely with need to go to hospital at some point, so the Run for Kids is something I do every year.
“We get a lot of parents that are going through hard times when their children are in hospital – that’s why I want to encourage parents to come and take part in the run.”
The Docklands run on April 7, a major contributor to the Royal Children’s Hospital Good Friday Appeal, is the first of a number of charity runs Ms Bugeja will tackle this year.
“I combine my love of running with giving back to the community – it’s great,” she said.
In Melton, personal trainer Olivia Scalzo is volunteering her time to help locals prepare for Run for the Kids.
Ms Scalzo is holding weekly training sessions at Frontier Park on Tuesday nights.
“These training sessions have been created to give people the opportunity to practise and train, as a lot of people don’t know where to start when they are training for a fun run or are unsure if they are fit enough,” she said.
Run for the Kids details: bit.ly/2HmA9Au
