UTM’s student-run charity Orphan Run launched their new website with a celebration in the Student Centre last Tuesday night. People ate cake, gave their congratulations, and watched a tour of the website.
Orphan Run raised $36,000 last year to support five orphans around the world through SOS Children’s Villages, an international non-governmental organization established in 1949 that provides homes and family-based care for orphans and disadvantaged families. Ankit Miglani, the president of Orphan Run and a fourth-year biology major, announced this year’s goal of $60,000.
Orphan Run connected with Layla Brittain, the senior resource lead for the GTA division of SOS Children’s Villages Canada.
“SOS Children’s Villages Canada is delighted and honoured to partner with Orphan Run,” Brittain said. “This is a great team here at UTM, which inspires us all.” SOS has helped 133 countries to date and has completed its 600th village.
Deep Saini, the vice-president of U of T and principal of UTM, supported the launch with a speech congratulating Orphan Run.
“[It’s a] great website, appealling and sober enough for the cause,” Saini said. “It’s beautiful. I love it.”
He added that the work of Orphan Run shows how special the students of UTM are, managing to develop not only into scholars but also into well-rounded human beings.
Kumar Pandya, a third-year computer science major who designed and currently manages the website, expressed his excitement for the site and the cause. Pandya said that Orphan Run maintains a personal connection with its supporters, noting that it has a section on its donation page for messages that can be shared on the site’s recognition wall.
After the website was officially launched, the guests shared a cake donated by Fatima Saeed, the team’s previous vice-president.
The address of Orphan Run’s new website is orphanrun.com.
