Charitable fundraising through the Comrades Marathon was implemented in 1996, with the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund having been selected as the first official beneficiary.
Since then, more than R60-million has been raised for the Comrades Marathon Association’s (CMA) Official Amabeadibeadi Charities, and with an increasing number of Comrades athletes signing up to run for a charitable cause over the years.
With just over three months to go to the 95th Comrades Marathon, the CMA launched its 2020 Amabeadibeadi Charity Drive at Comrades House in Pietermaritzburg today (Wednesday, 4.3.2020).
The Amabeadibeadi Charity Drive is aimed at fostering wider support for charitable fundraising for the Comrades Marathon Association’s (CMA) six official charities; namely The Community Chest of Pietermaritzburg and Durban, Childhood Cancer Foundation (CHOC), Hillcrest AIDS Centre Trust, Hospice Palliative Care of South Africa, Wildlands Conservation Trust and World Vision South Africa.
A major driving force of the Amabeadibeadi Charity initiative is the Toyota Win-a-Car Competition, whereby a stunning new Toyota Corolla Quest will be up for grabs on Comrades Race Day, 14 June 2020.
CMA Chairperson, Cheryl Winn said, “It is such a pleasure to have South Africa’s largest automotive manufacturer on board with us; whereby they have supported this initiative and assisted the CMA in contributing meaningfully to South Africa’s social and environmental landscape. We are ever so grateful to Toyota as well as to those of our runners who commit themselves to running for a cause greater than themselves.”
Runners, supporters and the greater public can purchase raffle tickets from each of the six official charities as well as at the Pietermaritzburg and Durban registration points as of 4 March until 12 noon on race day, 14 June. The cost is R10 per ticket.
Another exciting part of the 2020 Amabeadibeadi campaign is the continuation of the Race4Charity initiative. Via this development, runners have the opportunity to “secure” their spot closer to the front of the Comrades start line and improve their seeding batch, while raising funds for a good cause.
Race4Charity gives Comrades athletes the opportunity to not just make a difference, but to get people involved and race collectively for the benefit of charities. Runners can go to the Comrades website www.comrades.com and follow the Race4Charity link where they can sign up and choose one of the six official Amabeadibeadi charities to run and fundraise for. Clickthrough to http://comrades.com/charities/race-4-charity for more information.
CMA CSI and Charities Committee Convenor, Pat Freeman added, “Supporting worthy causes has been at the forefront of the CMA’s Charity & CSI Committee’s focus. Our fundraising platforms are specifically designed to give back to the needy and less fortunate in a way that uplifts society and adds value to the lives of ordinary people.”
CMA General Manager, Keletso Totlhanyo says, “Our six official Amabeadibeadi charities are carefully selected over a three-year cycle in order for the CMA to effect a meaningful charitable footprint in various sectors of social development as well as contribute to worthy environmental cause. We are mindful that a lot more can be achieved but are immensely grateful for the hard work carried out by our charities at grassroots level on a daily basis.”
Senior Manager of Sponsorships at Toyota South Africa, Reche van Niekerk, says: “Our organisation is proud to be associated with both the Comrades Marathon and the Amabeadibeadi Charity Drive. With Toyota’s business ethos built on a culture of respect for people, it is only fitting that we partner with a charity drive that is geared towards making a difference in the lives of the underprivileged.”
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