Sports
SIEMENS RUN 2009: RM120,000 raised in the name of charity!
The current world economy is putting a halt to corporate responsibility (CR) commitments for many corporations worldwide, but corporate companies in Malaysia proved that they still have a heart.
Pledging their support, 21 companies, 11 of them co-sponsors, reaffirmed their commitments for charity through the 5th Siemens Run at the annual charity run flag-off at Dataran Merdeka on July 19th. The run was further given the stamp of approval by the Datuk Bandar of Kuala Lumpur, Dato’ Ahmad Fuad bin Ismail, who flagged-off the race.
The race has received good support from co-sponsors Crocs, Mentholatum Deep Heating Rub, Hooha.Asia, Men’s Health and Shape magazine, Milo, 100 Plus, Nature Valley, Nivea, Prince Court Medical Centre, and Reebok; who are the official sportswear. All were present at the event today. Corporate team buyers Digi, The Royal Bank of Scotland, Prince Court Medical Centre, Plaza Low Yat, Bumi Armada Sdn Bhd, Bayer (M) Sdn Bhd, Airfoil Services Sdn Bhd, Bauer (M) Sdn Bhd, Scomi Engineering and Maxis Broadband Sdn Bhd also joined in the race in their fancy themed outfits.
The corporate companies, some who paid up to RM5,000, also enjoyed some quality time with the beneficiaries by organising fun and educational activities for them at their canopies.
The funds raised from the run were donated to three charities. They are the SM Pendidikan Khas Cacat Penglihatan in Setapak, the National Autistic Society of Malaysia in Sentul and the Taman Megah Handicapped and Disabled Childrens’ Home in Petaling Jaya. All homes received RM35,000, with the exception of Taman Megah Handicapped and Disabled Childrens’ Home receiving RM50,000 to facilitate Baby Sri's operation, who suffers from a cleft palate, hydrocephalus and nose dysmorphism.
This year, Siemens Run attracted a total of 5,005 runners in terms of participation– about 1,000 more than last year.
“In times of this softening economy, we need to continue helping the underprivileged as they too are part of this crisis and need everyday Malaysians and corporate companies to help them to survive. Siemens Run is open to all individual and corporate companies alike who would like to share our dream of helping unfortunate children and many many more,” said President & CEO Siemens Malaysia Tan Sri Rainer Althoff at the event today.
The main categories included the 10km Men and Women Open (18 years & above), Men Junior Veteran (40-49 years), Men Senior Veteran (50 years & above); 7.5km Women Veteran (35 years & above), boys and girls (13 under 18) and the 3.5km Dream Run (open category).
Taking centre stage again this year, was the Dream Run, the 3.5km fun run which was a runaway success with its carnival atmosphere last year. The route shot to stardom as sounds of live percussion, chart topping hits and Siemens cheer teams added camaderie to the event and provided morale support to the runners racing to the finish line.
“We succeeded in more than 4000 participants overall last year and reached 5,000 runners this year. It is a run designed with everyone in mind. I hope that in coming years more runners will register and be part of this dream to raise money for charity,” added Tan Sri Rainer Althoff.
Participants of Siemens Run 2009 took home a combined prize money totalling RM27,100. The first five winners in each category received a trophy, while medals were presented to runners who finished 6th to 150th place. All runners who completed the race received a certificate.
Siemens staff who were part of the Dream Teams cheer station contest also went home with goodies, with Sector Healthcare taking the top spot with their Green theme, and Sector Energy claiming the runner-up post with their Wild Wild West outfits. Bayer took home the prize for the Best Dressed Corporate Team for the third year.
The sixth edition of Siemens Run will be held on Sunday, July 4th next year.
Siemens Run 2008 sees biggest coalition of dreams with largest number of participants
Breaking the 4,000 mark, Siemens Malaysia’s 4th annual charity run, the Siemens Run 2008, What are you running for? attracted the largest number of participants in 2008, all of whom were running to champion their own individual cause.
The run, famous for its 10km category, is organised by Siemens Malaysia as part of its annual Corporate Social Responsibility under the Caring Hands Programme, and is held at Dataran Merdeka.
All proceeds from the run are channelled 100 per cent towards charity, and this year, the Taman Megah Handicapped and Disabled Childrens’ Home, Pernim Home for Children with HIV/AIDS, Agathians Shelter for Boys, and the Malaysian Paralympic Council were the chosen beneficiaries.
The uniqueness of this year’s run saw the over 4,000 runners scribble their own personalized “Dream” right on their t-shirts, in line with the run’s theme of in celebration of dreams. The celebration was held at Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman (TAR), where sounds of percussions and music were rippling through the air. There were also cheer stations along Jalan TAR made up of Siemens staff. The prizes offered by Siemens Run also added incentive to runners, with cash prizes totalling up to RM25,000 sponsored by Maybank Berhad for the second year running for the 12 categories.
Siemens Run 2007
The Race that Landed First Place
“Siemens Run 2007 is the first Merdeka project for the country”, said Y.B Datuk G.Palanivel, Deputy Minister, Minister of Women, Family & Community Development whom also flagged off the run together with Datuk Seri Rais Yatim, Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage.
The morning of 8th July 2007 was filled with high-spirits and energy with over 3,000 participants flooding Dataran Merdeka. All for a good cause of health and charity and a fun filled time with friends and family.
In its third year, Siemens Run 2007 still carried through the mandate of the run to promote a healthy and happy lifestyle across the community. This year, new categories were introduced like the Paralympics category, made up of wheelchair bound and visually impaired, whereby each of the runners were accompanied by a Siemens volunteer guide. Another highlight was also the Corporate Team Category where the company’s prized customers also competed in their fanciest getups.
It was a huge success for Siemens Malaysia to rally such a big initiative which was announced as the first Merdeka project for the country’s 50 years of independence. Yet what was more meaningful was the participation from Siemens Malaysia’s employees, for the monetary contribution and the invaluable time and effort spent in making Siemens Run 2007 a tremendous success in the spirit of Merdeka. Kudos to all staff of Siemens Malaysia and Nokia Siemens Networks!
Siemens Helps 'Make Cricket Fun'
Apart from equipping the world's biggest sporting arenas with the latest IT, security, energy and building management systems, Siemens has been a supporter for many sporting teams and events round the world. In the pursuit to improve the quality of life, Siemens believes that sports plays an important role in building stronger communities. In Malaysia, Siemens has been a benefactor for various youth and sporting campaigns and has been a sponsor of the Selangor Cricket Association since 2004.
In 2005, the SCA launched a program to help cricket regain its popularity amongst Malaysian children and youth – the 'Make Cricket Fun' program. Siemens Malaysia supports this 3-year program through an annual contribution of RM25,000 for the program development and expansion, funding of training ground facilities based in Sultan Abdul Samad Secondary School in Petaling Jaya, coaching fees, district competitions for schools in Petaling Jaya, Klang and Gombak.
In August 2006, SCA's 'Make Cricket Fun' program was honored the Most Outstanding Junior Development Program award for cricket in the country.
Run for fitness, charity and fun
Siemens Run 2006 – Celebrating Life, held on 15 January 2006 was the second road race organized by Siemens Malaysia as part of its corporate responsibility efforts to reaffirm its commitment to sports and charity.
The proceeds of the Siemens Run would be presented to the National Cancer Society of Malaysia where it will be channeled towards improving the wellbeing of children undergoing cancer treatment. A portion of the funds will also be channeled towards the Society's Resource and Wellness Centre which provides cancer information services and awareness campaigns.
The run, which drew a massive participation of close to 3,000 participants, was divided into eight categories including a category for fancy dress, The 'Fancy Dress' category, introduced to spice up the run definitely added in the element of fun. Siemens Run is part of Siemens' ongoing corporate citizenship efforts to promote community health and vitality whilst contributing towards charity.
See also
Siemens brings cheer to child cancer patients