The #patriziarun was a complete success: 654 participants had registered for the Remote Run for Rwanda, 237 of them runners from the school in Rwanda for which the campaign was started. The net proceeds from entry fees and donations amounted to around 5,000 euros, which will go to 100% to the PATRIZIA Vocational Training Center Ntarama to support the development of infrastructure for digital learning there.
Christina Lutz, who organized the charity-run as part of a volunteering campaign at PATRIZIA, is a passionate runner herself. She wanted to support a good cause with the run and at the same time give her colleagues an incentive to run during the Christmas season.Â
Christina hit the bull’s eye with her idea: In addition to numerous PATRIZIAns, many of whom registered with their families and friends, sponsors and partners of the foundation also participated, as well as two schools,
which were at the start with many students. The largest external team was provided by the Kaufmännische Schule Ehingen with 76 runners. They all ran a 5km course of their choice between December 24 and January 10 and tracked their time themselves. “Everyone runs for themselves, but everyone runs together for a good cause” – many were inspired by this idea.
Reaching the goal together with donations and running sponsorships
Participants were free to choose the amount of their entry fee when registering. It was also possible to take over a running sponsorship for a Rwandan student. After deducting payment and portal fees, the charity-run generated net proceeds of around 5,000 euros.
The feedback from participants was overwhelming: Numerous creative and motivating images were posted on social media using the hashtag #patriziarun. Several participants also expressed their thanks for the initiative by email. PATRIZIA’s Dutch team, for example, reported that 24 out of 28 employees participated in the Remote Run for Rwanda, motivating each other via WhatsApp group with pictures and results. Many ran the five kilometers several times to improve their time.
Raffle of prizes
Runners were able to enter their results via the Race Result portal and received a personal certificate. Finally, there was also something to win after the run: The foundation raffled three prizes among all participants. The main prize, a Sensory Running Coaching, was donated by Bernhard Westermeier, the inventor of this running method. In the coaching you learn to experience running in a new way, with feeling and structure, and you learn to trust in your own ability. The second prize was a photo book with pictures from the PATRIZIA School Dokhsan in Nepal, and the third prize, a gift set from MAK Coffee in Augsburg with an exclusive PATRIZIA Foundation coffee roast, was donated by Allan Mutagwaba, the owner of the coffee shop, who created the special roast himself.Â
Lady Luck Christina draws the winners of the raffleÂ
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Support for the PATRIZIA Vocational Training Center Ntarama in Rwanda
PATRIZIA Vocational Training Center Ntarama in Rwanda was closed last year during the lockdown like other schools around the world. As a result, the students no longer had access to education because there were no infrastructures for digital learning. The school itself was in dire straits as school fees were not paid. The PATRIZIA Foundation provided emergency aid during this difficult time and, with funds from the “Corona Fund Education Healthcare”, supported the school with salaries for teachers, food and necessary hygiene measures such as hand washing facilities for the reopening after the lockdown.
The foundation also wants to help in the long term with a digitisation initiative, the “Digital Classroom”. The school urgently needs further support for the construction of a computer room and the purchase of laptops – so that access to education can be maintained in the long term despite further possible school closures via digital teaching. Therefore, the income from the starting fee and other donations collected during the charity run will go directly into this project.
