Jasiek Mela Foundation Beyond Horizons, “To Rescue Children with Cancer” Foundation, Amp Active, AVANTI, Unicorn Association and First Step – are charity organizations Poland Business Run participants will support this year. September 4th, in seven cities in Poland starting lines will gather residents of Kraków, Poznan, Katowice, Łódź, Wrocław and Gdańsk. All this to help more people get on their feet!
The initiative, which is celebrating its fifth birthday this year, will support not only beneficiaries of the Jasiek Mela Foundation Beyond Horizons, but also beneficiaries of local organizations. As Agnieszka Pleti, the President of the Poland Business Run Foundation says Our run is growing stronger every year. We have more and more positive impact and this is the reason why, on our fifth birthday, we want to pass the helping baton to further foundations which also are in need of support. Together, we can help get on their feet not only beneficiaries of the Jasiek Mela Foundation but also people cared for by smaller, often less known organizations.
Poland Business Run was initiated in Kraków in 2011 and already a year later runners started in next cities; Katowice and Poznań. In 2014 Warsaw and Łódź joined the initiative, while last year welcomed also Wrocław. This year, the run will be held in Gdańsk for the first time.
In Poznań the runners of the Poland Business Run are going to help Łukasz Mamcarz, beneficiary of the AVANTI Foundation and Michał Żyliński. Łukasz lost his leg in an accident but he didn’t give in to the obstacles and kept developing his passion for sports. His efforts were awarded with breaking the European record in high jump and bronze medal in London 2012 Paralympics. In turn Michał Żyliński had an accident which resulted in spinal cord being severed. The man urgently needs rehabilitation and specialized equipment to return to normal life. Thanks to employees of companies located in Poznań both men will be able to make their dreams come true and show others that disability is not an obstacle to achieving success.
Runners from Warsaw will bring on their feet beneficiaries of the Amp Active Foundation which helps amputees, supports their sports activities and is committed to creating a level playing field in the society. Janusz Rokicki, whom the runners will support, talks about himself; I am a very active person. Maybe even too active for someone disabled. I am a professional athlete and help people with disabilities and the elderly. I work and am a happy father of three sons. Thanks to a new prosthesis my trainings will be more efficient and comfortable which will, hopefully, bring better sports results next year. Patrycja Plewka, the President of Amp Active, adds Co-operation with Poland Business Run opens new possibilities for the beneficiaries of the Amp Active Foundation. Thanks to the new prosthetic equipment they will get a chance to improve their life quality. Our co-operation is a result of years of sharing experience and of shared goal to help amputees develop in different areas; personal, sports and their everyday lives.
It is not required to be a professional athlete in order to get help. Runners from Łódź are helping to get on their feet beneficiaries of the First Step Association; Bożena and Wiktor. Bożena is 63 but her voice reveals her energy and optimism of a teenager. In 2013, Bożena fell ill with sepsis, consequently ¾ of her right foot and toes from the left one had to be amputated. Staphylococcus infection and difficult treatment made the way to recover a long one. Thanks to a special prosthesis and crutches the woman tries to be independent because, as she says, she doesn’t like to bother anyone with her worries. She dreams about wearing a dress and sandals again and to feel feminine, she admits it that even though femininity is above all a strength of character, it is nice to feel comfortable in one’s own body.
The story of Wiktor is still different; he was born with a spectrum of birth defects and underwent eight surgeries. In the first months of his life doctors decided to amputate his left leg. Today, thanks to parents’ determination and continuous rehabilitation, Wiktor moves independently, rides his bike and dreams about playing football with his friends. The boy is growing and developing, therefore the need for enlarging the prosthesis and exchanging it for a new one. The current one is already the second within last 12 months and is already becoming too small; consequently it causes pain and discomfort. Wiktor is a cheerful and determined boy with a great curiosity of the world but needs help to face the adversities. Thanks to the participants of Poland Business Run he will get a chance to make his dreams come true.
In the 5-year history of PBR there are many cases like these. Starting from this year, thanks to establishing the Poland Business Run Foundation and expanding activities to local organizations, the runners will have an opportunity to help even greater number of people. In Krakow Poland Business Run Foundation will support the Unicorn Association which helps cancer patients and their dear ones. Thanks to the support of the runners beneficiaries of the association will get funds for psycho-oncology and rehabilitation stay. While in Wrocław funds will be transferred to finance prostheses for beneficiaries of the “To Rescue Children with Cancer” Foundation. It supports young patients from the Cape of Hope Clinic.
From the origins of this initiative it was possible to help over 60 people across Poland. The funds were dedicated for prostheses, financing rehabilitation and psychological consultations. Poland Business Run brings on one’s feet not only in the literal meaning; beneficiaries receive psychological help and support thanks to which they recover their abilities, return to work and become independent.
To help people like Łukasz, Michał, Bożena or Wiktor it is enough to register your team at www.polandbusinessrun.pl. Warsaw and Gdańsk are still open for the runners.