Solidarity Runs - VOIT Automotive EN

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Charity Meets Sport:

Running for a good cause!

Every year, VOIT employees, sometimes together with family members or friends, take part in the St. Ingbert Solidarity run for a good cause.

The idea for an event in the form of a “Solidarity Run” came from pastor Andreas Keller in 2004. Since fewer and fewer children and youngsters were taking part in traditional “hunger marches”, he envisaged a new solidarity event: a sporty running event. In much the same way as in the hunger marches, donations were to be “earned” by running.

In discussions with the St Ingbert-based family of running enthusiasts, Dr. Josef and Gitta Mischo and Christoph Fuhrbach, representative of the world church in the episcopal ordinariate in Speyer, the idea of the 24-hour solidarity run eventually crystallized.

Pastor Keller also imagined having an extensive entertainment programme to accompany the whole event.

Solidarity Run 2018

Giving the Children from the Slums of Dourados in Brazil a Chance

“Giving the children from the slums of Dourados/Brazilien a chance” is the motto and, at the same time, the invitation to run some rounds at the Mühlwald stadium on 8^th and 9^th September 2018. The 13th solidarity run supports a childcare center in the poor area of Dourados in Brazil. Their mission is to reinforce family structures with programmes for strengthening intra-family relationships and intense care of the children and their families. The 160 children aged between 6 and 16 years, who are looked after every day, come from the poorest sections of society. In their parts of town there is an extremely high level of violence, drug dealing and consumption, prostitution, domestic violence in the unstructured families and distinct machismo towards women. Personal conflicts are generally resolved using violence. The aim, through sport for the kids in the care center, is to increase social competence among the children and, at the same time to reduce the tendency towards violence. The existing sport programme currently on offer is to be intensified by having a football school for girls and boy. In addition, a judo and/or ju-jitsu school is planned. The care center is funded by the official institution Evangelical Team for Brasil

With the project in Brazil, the solidarity running team has taken the evangelical church community of Herschweiler-Pettersheim on board as a partner. The community has been supporting the mission and social works in Brazil for many years in order to give the children and youngsters in the slums, the so-called Favelas, a future.

24 hours in a unique atmosphere

The rounds can be run from 3p.m to 3 p.m, by daylight and by floodlight. In doing so, the participants encounter a unique atmosphere: whether in a wheelchair, mothers with prams, walkers, marathon runners, whether a kindergarten child or a pensioner, whether fast or slow, young or old – everyone participates according to their own level of ability.

A comprehensive framework programme with an open air church service and music bands make it easier to run the rounds. There is also plenty for runners and visitors to eat and drink.

The St Ingbert sports organization DJK SG supports the communities of St. Pirmin and St. Michael with the event.

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