It all started in 2010 as an internal competition for staff members in order to promote a healthy life style (keep walking, leave your car at home) and social interaction among staff members (team walkers).
The competition grew in popularity over time, a popularity nobody anticipated. More and more people registered. People started running in the park in the evening because they did not reach the number of scheduled steps for the day. People started posting pictures from weddings and christianings where the contest bracelet can be seen in the foreground, or pictures from company parties where new records were established, or pictures of people telling their peers they achieved few steps. This was the general mood throughout the Walking Month competition.
Walking Month got so popular from one year to another that scaling it at Cluj community level seemed the next natural thing to do: 2015 – 1st Walking Month Community Edition.
The 1st Community Edition added a new element to the well-being and fun – a meaningful CSR cause element came into play. All the money raised during the campaign were donated to buy the equipment for the Intensive Care Unit of the Children’s Emergency Hospital in Cluj.
Other competitions may require you to train beforehand, but you already have everything you need to participate in the Walking Month competition. There is basically no excuse to not participating in this competition.
Walking Month is a new way to raise funds for a worthy cause and to promote an active, healthy lifestyle.
In Cluj, we expect 1,000 people to form teams of 4, and compete in the number of steps they can make in one month.
100% of the participation fees are donated to an NGO helping children with special needs to take their first steps in life, providing access to the much needed medical treatment.
42.000 lei (9,300 euros) were donated to the Intensive Care Unit of the Children’s Emergency Hospital in Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
560 people participated, promoted a healthy lifestyle and supported the children’s cause.
2015, in figures:
Competition timeline: 12th of September – 11th of October
1,000 participants
200 million steps
CSR cause: “We walk, so they can walk!”
The Order of Malta Relief Organisation in Romania takes care of children with neuro-motor disabilities and other associated disorders.
For these children, specialised therapy is the difference between remaining dependent on their parents or truly becoming a part of the community.
The funds we wish to raise during Walking Month can ensure the therapy of 10 children for a whole school year!
When I started writing this paper, I did not understand why the following quote started coming to my mind obsessively: „True value lies in simple things”. Gradully, as I was writing this paper I realized that this is the essence of the Walking Month competition. We achieve so many things just by walking: we keep healthy, we have fun with other people, we reduce polution by keeping the car in our garage for a month, we no longer worry about parking space, and, most importantly, we lend a helping hand to those who need it most: this year, we walk, so they can walk.
12th of September – 11th of October 2016 Walking Month is the ccompetition where we are already winners the moment we choose to participate!
by Ovidiu Mățan
by Diana Costa
by István Nagy
