| Airtel Delhi Half Marathon 2011 |
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| | The Airtel Delhi Half Marathon 2011: A Snapshot |
World over, in addition to being an expression of joy, marathons have also become a platform to raise awareness about various social causes. Individuals and corporate houses run the roads with enthusiastic fervour, to express solidarity towards a cause close to their hearts. The Airtel Delhi Half Marathon (ADHM) is one such event where every year individuals, organizations and institutions have come forward and pledged their participation to a cause or charity of their choice
Since 2008, Bharti Foundation has been actively associated with the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon (ADHM) and has successfully brought together more than 3,000 people across 43 corporate houses, approximately 160 students and over 700 individuals raising approximately INR 2.08 crores, of which Rs 85000 has been raised in 2011,) towards its flagship rural education initiative, the Satya Bharti School Program. Its fervent presence creates awareness about the program and provides an opportunity to like-minded organizations to forge sustainable partnerships.
Bharti Foundation has effectively utilized the ADHM platform to espouse a ‘theme’ every year for the event, highlighting a ‘cause’ associated with the Satya Bharti School Program. The Airtel Delhi Half Marathon 2011 was an effort by the Foundation to gather maximum support for its student ‘Superheroes of Change’. The event saw organizations and individuals running for Satya Bharti School students who are leading community development campaigns for positive social transformation in their villages.
This student-initiated change at the grassroots level against social evils was emphasized during the event by the Foundation through a specially developed ‘Superhero Leagues’ theme. Various creative collaterals in the form of banners, posters, eye masks etc. were designed around it to generate maximum awareness. The en-route ‘Bharti Foundation Cheering Zone’ was also effectively utilized to showcase the theme with volunteers dressed as Superheroes cheering all runners and drawing attention to the Satya Bharti ‘cause’.
Bharti Foundation also carried out a Signature Campaign on the event day seeking support from all participants for the Satya Bharti student change-makers. Ms Sheila Dixit, the Chief Minister of Delhi, celebrities including Shah Rukh Khan, Bipasha Basu, Rahul Bose, Gul Panag, Siddharth Mallya and Rajeev Khandelwal, company heads and individual runners pledged their alliance in huge numbers by signing in. Bharti Foundation staff members donning ‘Superhero’ eye-masks, Corporate Teams and individual participants ran the marathon carrying banners and posters, partaking in the journey for social change being led by our student ‘Superheroes’ in their villages.
Celebrity actor Shah Rukh Khan enthusiastically interacted with Satya Bharti School students present encouraged them to continue their social endeavors. The students gleefully lined up to be photographed with the superstar.
Veteran runners came forth in ADHM 2011 to contribute their efforts towards the Satya Bharti School Program through the ‘Airtel Delhi Half Marathon Charity Challenge 2011’. Athletes Asha Arora, Prem Bedi and Kanupriya Sharma ran the half marathon (21 kms) challenging their previous records which ensued in company CEOs pledging monetary support for various educational schemes at the Satya Bharti Schools. Mr. Sunil Kumar Goyal, CEO, YourNest Angel Fund contributed towards school books and stationery for 30 students for a year, Mr. Sanjay Nandrajog (CEO, FieldFresh Foods) donated for mid-day meals for 30 Satya Bharti School students and Mr. Sanjeev Duggal, CEO of Centum Learning sponsored the education of two girl students for an academic year.
The Airtel Delhi Half Marathon 2011 presented an opportunity for Bharti Foundation to showcase to the world the Satya Bharti School student-driven community development initiative. It reaffirmed the Foundation’s objective of holistic development of children thereby transforming them into agents of change in their community.
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