A Safe Haven Foundation, an award-winning homeless shelter in Chicago, held its 10th Annual Run/Walk to End Homelessness on July 18.

This year’s ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is reported to be exacerbating the problem of homelessness, so one of A Safe Haven Foundation’s goals was to help raise awareness to support homeless people around the world.

TECO in Chicago and the Taiwanese Junior Chamber of Commerce Chicago jointly organized an activity to support A Safe Haven Foundation and to convey to the World Health Organization what Taiwan has contributed to the world in the past half year and that Taiwan can assist the WHO. They called on local Taiwanese groups to join the charity 5K Run/ Walk and help send this message.

The activity began at 10:00 am at Ty Warner Park in Westmont Illinois but Illinois was under Phase 4 restrictions for gatherings, so participation was limited to a maximum of 50 people, and everyone had to have a face covering and maintain social distancing of at least 6 feet.

It was a beautiful day when the groups who’d been able to successfully register arrived at the park, and everyone was delighted because this was the first outdoor event after being in lockdown for nearly three months. The organizers, and members of six different groups participated: the Friends of Taiwan Association, a local charity group; the Formosa Association of Student Cultural Ambassadors, a Taiwanese second generation youth group; the Taiwanese American Association Greater Chicago Chapter, a major Taiwanese-owned Chamber of Commerce; the Greater Chicago Taiwanese Emergency Assistance Association which is a volunteer group that helps Taiwanese in need in greater Chicago; the Northwestern Taiwanese Student Association; and some individual Taiwanese who’d registered earlier.

The event began with the Director-General of TECO in Chicago Eric Huang greeting everyone and wishing them all good health, and Westmont Mayor Ron Gunter and the Westmont Chamber Economic Development Director Larry Forssberg each welcomed everyone.

All the Taiwanese participants then went to an open field and formed a message to the WHO which was photographed and videoed. A raffle was drawn, and ten lucky participants received a Gift Card, and then everyone cheerfully set off for their 5K Run/Walk.