Belgrade Marathon – An Opportunity for Sport and Altruism
At the 30th Belgrade Marathon in the "CorD Charity Masters" humanitarian race, which combines sport and altruism, the Miteco company team also participated. The company continuously engages in donor activities, but this is the first time it has supported "butterfly children" with a corporate donation.
Humanitarian activities and sponsorships in the field of culture are one of the ways Miteco, as a socially responsible company, expresses care for the social community and the natural environment. This year, however, it participated for the first time in this event of national significance by running the Fun Run within the marathon.
The Fun Run as a Form of Humanitarian Action
The Fun Run represents an integral part of the Belgrade Marathon. This run is of a participatory, not competitive, character and is 5 kilometers long. According to the rules, anyone who wishes can participate without prior registration.
The Fun Run has no rankings or winners. Participating in the marathon in this way is an end in itself and promotes sport in a special way.
At the jubilee 30th Belgrade Marathon, on April 22, 2017, under the slogan "The Marathon Connects," more than 7,000 runners participated. Among them, in the Fun Run, were Miteco company employees.
The Miteco Team in the "CorD Charity Masters" Race
By participating in the Fun Run, the Miteco team simultaneously participated in the "CorD Charity Masters" humanitarian race, where, as the organizer points out, it is more important to be humanitarian than to be a winner.
Through the combination of sport and altruism, the donor activity in the "CorD Charity Masters" race is realized through sponsorship: by allocating funds for every kilometer run.
In that humanitarian action, the five-member Miteco team set a goal to run a total of 50 kilometers together. With its donation, the company corporately supported for the first time the Debra association, dedicated to "raising funds for research and future treatment of those suffering from Epidermolysis Bullosa" (www.debra.org.rs), better known as "butterfly children".
Miteco employees had previously supported "butterfly children" with individual donations, but this time the humanitarian action grew into corporate support for the Debra association. Patients with Epidermolysis Bullosa require significant funds for daily treatment, as the disease is treated symptomatically, with constant care and regular consumption of various medical supplies.
In the race that combines sport and altruism, the Miteco team wore corporate T-shirts printed with an additional slogan: I (heart) running. In this way, team members took the opportunity to be humanitarian and expressed their pleasure at participating in the "CorD Charity Masters" race.
Thus, the continuity of the company's humanitarian activities was maintained.
The Debra Association
"Butterfly children" in Serbia are brought together by the Debra (Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa Research Action) association, founded in 2008. This association provides support to those suffering from Epidermolysis Bullosa in preserving health and easing daily life. Debra currently brings together 20 patients, 15 of whom are children, and it is estimated that there are over a hundred "butterfly children" in Serbia.
Patients with Epidermolysis Bullosa are publicly better known as "butterfly children" due to their great sensitivity. This disease manifests with very vulnerable and fragile skin, daily endurance of pain, and a host of other complications. It is an incurable genetic disease that requires adequate hygiene, nutrition, and wound dressing.
"Butterfly children" require significant funds for the daily procurement of various medical supplies. Debra undertakes numerous humanitarian activities to secure the necessary funds. Donations for Epidermolysis Bullosa patients are regularly collected within the "CorD Charity Masters" race.
As part of this humanitarian action, representatives of Miteco ran the marathon's Fun Run as a team. This is the first time the company has participated in the "CorD Charity Masters" humanitarian race. Miteco directed its donation to the Debra association.