Palatine, Illinois: The Sikh Religious Society organized its second annual 3.2 km run/walk on June 30 in Palatine, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. The theme of the run was “Sarbat Da Bhala” (Well-being for All). More than 200 participants of all ages including the neighborhood residents and their families took part. State of Illinois Senator Ann Gillespie, who represents the people of this neighborhood in 27th Senate District, was the honored guest and kicked off the run. The run/walk was for well-being, health, peace, love and tolerance.
The event was organized by the Sikh youth volunteers and neighbors of the Palatine Gurdwara in collaboration with the Sikh Religious Society board of directors.
“The purpose of this run/walk is to engage the neighborhood, encourage each other to get healthy and support youth involvement in community activities,” said Jasvir Kaur of the youth organizing committee.
This year’s “Well-being for All” Run/Walk was dedicated to the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the founder of Sikh faith, to honor his spiritual journey walks, where he traveled over 40,000 km over a period of 24 years, visiting nine countries, mostly on foot, having interfaith dialogues with people he met along the way, reminding people of the importance of truth, social justice, love, respect for each other’s faiths and compassion. The Gurmat Sunday School students, Sehaj Kaur, Ajeet Singh and Asees Kaur, spoke about what inspires them about Guru Nanak.
The youth took a keen interest and played a strong role in organizing the event.
Gillespie encouraged the youth to participate in such healthy activities and handed out award certificates to the top three winners of the run: 1st place Mukal Kumar, 2nd place Amandeep Singh and 3rd place Shaan Singh Sohi.
“This would not be possible without a hardworking team of youth organizers, medical staff, dedicated youth volunteers and their parental support. Everyone loved it and we are making this event an annual tradition,” said Prempal Singh, Sikh Religious Society board member.
Photo credits: Amrit Gill, Adam Witt and Siddiq Ashraf.
