MUMBAI: The first year of the Tata Group taking title rights to the Mumbai Marathon has seen India’s largest mass participation run raise its highest ever quantum for charity.
United Way of Mumbai, the event’s philanthropy partner, shattered all previous records, raising over Rs 343.6 million at the Tata Mumbai Marathon (TMM) 2018.
With this, the cumulative amount raised by the event in 15 years since its inception in 2004 has breached the Rs 2 billion mark, standing at an impressive Rs 2.2916 billion today. This re-affirms the Mumbai Marathon as the single largest sporting platform for philantrophy in India.
‘Giving’ through TMM reached a new high as 262 NGOs, 169 Corporates, 266 teams, 231 Young Leaders along with thousands of individual donors and fundraisers came forward to support a host of social causes including Education, Disability, Health Care, Women Empowerment, Children, Animal Welfare & Environment, Livelihood, Social, Civic & Community Development, Art, Elderly, and Gender among others.
Commenting on the occasion, Jayanti Shukla, executive director, United Way Mumbai, said: “”From humble beginnings in 2004, the Mumbai Marathon has grown by leaps and bounds in the charity domain. Each year, our supporters – individuals, corporates and charities – raise the bar and raise incredible amounts of funds, always surpassing past results and setting new benchmarks. This year we have raised Rs 34.36 crores (Rs 343.6 million) for 262 charities! Also, we have the contribution of incredible individuals like Mr Sankara Raman, who has raised Rs 1.32 crores (Rs13.2 million) for Amar Seva Sangam, becoming the highest fundraising individual in the history of the Mumbai Marathon. The scale of achievement in philanthropy makes the Tata Mumbai Marathon a unique event; highly anticipated every year. I would like to thank each and every one who has contributed to the Tata Mumbai Marathon 2018. Without their efforts, this achievement would not be possible!”
“The Tata Group has always believed that the community is core to our existence and we are delighted that the Tata Mumbai Marathon has become such an important annual event to raise awareness and funds about various social causes. Our heartiest congratulations to all those runners who have successfully made an impact by participating in the Tata Mumbai Marathon,” said Harish Bhat, Brand custodian, Tata Sons.
Vivek B Sing, joint MD of venet promoter Procam International, said: “We are glad that through Tata Mumbai Marathon we have been able to awaken not only a passion for running in the maximum city but also a spirit of giving – helping us all #BeBetter human beings. It is inspiring to see citizens of this country open up their hearts for a cause and go that extra mile to create a positive impact. We are extremely proud and compliment the exemplary work done by the fund-raisers, in making the philanthropy pillar stronger. Together with the team at United Way, we shall continue to expand the philanthropy base of the event and make it even more appealing.”
The 2018 edition of the event has truly represented the mantra – #BEBETTER. Today NGOs, corporate entities, and individuals are the triumvirates of transformation – continually pushing the envelope for a positive social change.
Some highlights of TMM 2018:
The introduction of a new 10Km race distance via charity added a new dimension to the race garnering the participation of 1100 individuals.
Growing year-on-year, a remarkable example of fundraising has been the Young Leaders category. This year, 112 Young Leaders below the age of 21 years raised Rs 20.1 million for their respective NGOs. The youngest fundraiser was only 3 years old. Out of this total, 29 Young Leaders are also Change Runners, who have gone beyond the minimum target set in support of their chosen cause.
The torchbearers of social change are the Change Icons – Sankara Raman, Ms Villy Doctor, VS Parthasarathy, KVS Manian, Ms Shanti Ekambaram, Sadashiv S Rao, and Abhay Jasani who have collectively raised Rs 49,921,147 for seven NGOs. It is interesting to note – Tamil Nadu’s wheelchair-bound Sankara Raman individually raised Rs 13.2 million for Amar Seva Sangam, highest by any fundraiser in the history of the event!
For the first time ever, the top six NGOs have raised more than Rs 10 million each – Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care, Amar Seva Sangam, Isha Vidhya, Cancer Patients Aid Association, K. C. Mahindra Education Trust and Life of Lite Trust collectively raised Rs 85,840,925
169 corporates participated in the Tata Mumbai Marathon, fielding 266 teams and raising Rs 194.7 million for 98 NGOs.
