BIGGER THAN LIFE :
#RunForBTL

Sumer Bangera

BTL fortified my belief that quality of basic education (to say the least) should not be compromised irrespective of the financial standing of a student. I realised that the ambitions of these children are no different from their financially-privileged peers. Their desire to learn and pursue ambitious careers is unparalleled and BTL strives to provide every opportunity to help these determined children. I am fortunate to have been a part of the BTL family since 2013 and proudly represent BTL at running events under the ‘#RunForBTL’ project.

Nikita

Every child deserves a champion - an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of correction, and insists that they become the best that they possibly can be.Rita Pierson. She was absolutely right and Bigger than Life is the Adult in this scenario. Being a part of BTL was never a part of my plan for life. I stumbled into it and it turned out to be one of the most refreshing experiences in my life. Every child deserves the right to education and financial burden should not be a hindrance to this right. BTL enables to bridge this gap between an underprivileged child's right to education and their financial strain. Volunteering for this organization, playing with these over enthusiastic kids and seeing the purity in them bought me a sense of peace and fulfilment. I am blessed to be a part of this family and hope to continue to make people aware of BTL by participating in running event with the #RunForBTL initiative.

Ankit Mishra

Working with BTL evokes memories of the time when I grew up in an informal settlement like most of the children who come to BTL. It reminds me of the similar games I played and my time and interaction with various local NGO’s to seek opportunities to learn as I was growing up. Therefore, I am determined to provide these children with opportunities that once helped me alleviate my circumstances. And it is this desire that inspires and motivates me to run long-distance races through the ‘#RunForBTL’ project and contribute to BTL’s social cause.

#RunForBTL

   #RunForBTL is a volunteer-based project open to all running enthusiasts. The primary purpose of the project is to create social awareness about the poor quality of education available for underprivileged children and to seek volunteers to assist Bigger Than Life (BTL) with their hyperlocal social development efforts. We achieve this by participating in high-profile running events across Mumbai and we would love to have more volunteers to run with us at such events!

   Our current team of runners include Ankit, Nikita, Sumer and Tushar who have been successfully representing BTL at major events such as Tata Mumbai Marathon, BNP Endurathon and Navy Half Marathon. The team also achieved multiple podium finishes at the Juhu Runathon 2018.

   You can follow us on Instagram (@RunForBTL and #RunForBTL) or write to us at runforbtl@gmail.com to learn more about the project.