Stride-2" of War Hero Children Draws Huge Public Support
The second fund-raising 'Viru Daru' Stride -2 (Public Walk) from the Galle Face green commenced with a record 3000 walkers of all ages, the majority being sons and daughters of Army families, attached to the 'Viru Daru' Society, stunning Colombo and its suburbs covering a distance of about 8 km on Saturday (13).
The start of the second marathon walk at about 8.00 a.m. received a heartening fillip, following the arrival of Mr Namal Rajapaksa, Member of Parliament, General Jagath Jayasuriya, Commander of the Army and Mrs Manjulika Jayasuriya, President, Seva Vanitha Army Branch (SVAB), Senior Army officers and other invitees to join the walk.
Ms Deshanee Jayasuriya, Chairperson, Viru Daru Society, together with senior office-bearers received the distinguished guests warmly and invited them to join the walk, meant to raise funds for various Viru Daru welfare projects and create awareness among the general public on the well-being of children of War Hero families.
The second public walk, open to everyone also expects to provide psychological counseling to war affected children of both civilians and War Heroes with different programmes, expected to be launched by the Viru Daru Society (VDS) in the future.
Replicas of strolling elephants, horses, vintage cars, double deckers and sniffer dogs, different fancy dresses and models, etc giving a hilarious dimension to the walking parade, added fun and amusement to the event as onlookers along Kompannaveediya road, Gangarama road, Pittala junction, Liberty roundabout, Duplication road, Bambalapitiya, Galle road, Kollupitiya and return to Galle Face, cheered the participating walkers, including the Commander of the Army and Mrs Manjulika Jayasuriya, the heavyweight behind the success of Viru Daru Society projects.
At the end of the walk, school accessories and 250 scholarships worth of Rs 10,000/= each for (grade 1-5) students, Rs 15,000/= each for (grade 6-11) students and Rs 20,000/= each for (grade 12-13) students were offered to children of disabled and fallen War Heroes by 'Viru Daru Society', with the sponsorship of the People's Bank.
Meanwhile, a special scholarship to a Tamil student from Shivanagar, Puthukudiruppu was granted on the same occasion. The student, who has three sisters in his family and had lost his wrist area of the left hand while his mother had also lost one of her legs during wartime. On the same occasion Vijayabahu Viru Daru Society chaired by Mr Deshitha Samarathunga donated Rs 250,000/= towards the coffers of the Viru Daru Society.
All participants received certificates from the organizers for participation in the event. A brief musical session afterwards culminated the day's programme.
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Courtesy : Army Media
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