For many, the curtains might have come down on the Vodafone Delhi Half Marathon 2007 after much fanfare last Sunday. But for Arup Banerji, head, events at Give India, his work has just begun. He is busy scanning cheques he received during the annual event and the online pledges still pouring in. ?The final figures will be made available in two weeks,? he says when one insists.
The good news, which he did share, is for all those people who were part of the event. ?The money raised this year has already crossed the Rs 1 crore mark, which is above what it was in the last two years,? says Banerji. The turnout was impressive, both among the corporates and the NGOs where as many as 30 new organisations came forward to get benefitted. ?Soon the Delhi Half Marathon might catch up with the Mumbai Marathon in terms of raising funds,? comments Banerji.
It is time for the organisers to enjoy too. Vivek B Singh, joint managing director of Procam International, the event organiser, is busy putting his thoughts together for a speech at the upcoming press conference where the body will detail about the net funds raised. For him, the indicator of the success was seem on Sunday itself, when the Corporate Challenge section crossed its last year record of 22 teams. ?This year we hosted over 40 teams from India Inc, making it over 100 executives running for themselves and society. Besides, the participants in the Dream Team, with individual fundraisers, also pitched in a few lakhs,? he says.
To be a participant in the Dream Team, one had to raise a minimum of Rs 1 lakh. So people asked friends to contribute to a cause one was pitching for. In case of the Corporate Challenge, a team had to pay around Rs 1.5 lakh to participate. ?Out of this amount, a minimum amount went to the organisers and Give India, while the rest has gone to welfare organisations the corporate house wants to support,? says Banerji.
A participant of the Dream Team, Ajay Bakaya, executive director of Sarovar Hotels & Resorts, was one of the highest fundraisers at the event for the second time. ?This year, my contribution was over Rs 9 lakh. The better thing to talk about is that though I am over 50, I managed to run 21 km. The funds, collected from friends and acquaintance in the hospitality sector, will go to Delhi?s street children through Child Care and Development Foundation,? he says.
Executives of Apollo Tyres also participated in the Corporate Challenge (with three teams) for the first time this year. ?A first for us, it was nothing but fun. Though many of our executives were travelling, and a few could not make it for other reasons, we enjoyed it enough to definitely be there next year,? says Kankana Das, head, corporate affairs, Apollo Tyres.
So, wait and watch this space for the next update on how much you raised this marathon.