Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon Celebrates the Legacy of Giving Back to The Community
Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon:The citizens of Delhi, India Inc and the government united as one for the prestigious 17th Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon in October to uphold the spirit of ‘giving’. In a 30-day fundraising window, with Philanthropy Partner United Way Delhi on-board, INR 1.59 crore was raised for various causes by the participating NGOs, Fundraisers and Corporates with the motto #EachStepCounts !
Being a cause neutral platform, the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon had NGOs from multiple causes, ranging from early childcare and development, education and youth success, health and well-being, financial stability, environment and sustainability, disaster response and preparedness and diversity and inclusion. While fundraising is one aspect, the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon 2022 also provided the partnering NGOs with a platform to initiate dialogue on issues of shared importance.
Since its inception, the National Capital’s very own prestigious half marathon has raised over INR 79.35 crore towards charity.
Another key spectacle during the event was the youth signing up as cause champions, raising awareness and funds for causes close to their hearts and support the less privileged. The event also witnessed the participation of 14 Corporates with 335 Employees holding cause flags of various social sector organizations, contributing close to 60% of the total fundraising this year.
Speaking about this year’s edition, Rina Kaushal, Board Chair, United Way Delhi, said: “As the city experienced the iconic sports event this year, on 16th of October, the streets of Delhi not only witnessed the footsteps of the runners from India and the globe but also hundreds and thousands of hearts throbbing to make a difference in the lives of those in need.”
Boosting the event’s philanthropic drive were Vedanta Limited and IDFC FIRST Bank, the event’s Title sponsor and Associate sponsor respectively, who marked their maiden association with the world’s prestigious half marathon with innovative social impact campaigns that struck a chord with the runners.
Indian conglomerate Vedanta’s #RunForZeroHunger campaign translated to a nutritious meal for a needy child for every kilometre logged during the race — 2 million meals in all — through its flagship social impact initiative Nand Ghar.
Ms. Priya Agarwal Hebbar, Non-Executive Director, Vedanta Limited, said, “It has been a surreal experience to witness the fervour and zeal at the 17th edition of the prestigious Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon. Over 40,000 people from across the world participated in the prestigious run, colouring the streets of Delhi in the spirit of humanity as they all ran for a larger purpose – they all ran for zero hunger! 26,000 runners on the race day and 15,000 Vedanta family came together and clocked more than 2 million kilometres. Through our Nand Ghar initiative, we are ensuring that these 2 million nutritious meals are served to children in need for their healthier future.”
The technology-led bank’s Runners Pledge incentivised fast finishers by rewarding participants who completed the 10K and half marathon within a specified time. Successful runners could then contribute the sum credited to them towards social causes dear to them.
Naarayan TV, Chief Marketing Officer, IDFC FIRST Bank, said, “Marathons are often about bettering oneself and realising innate strengths. The IDFC FIRST Bank Runners Pledge enabled participants to support causes dear to them and thereby contribute to the larger purpose of social good. Under the Runners Pledge, the Bank deposited funds for social causes in eligible participants’ bank accounts, commensurate with the distance covered and finishing time. Finishers who qualified for this reward had the choice of using the funds to contribute to social causes they believe in and create a real impact. For many of them, the journey to the finish line was over but their #JourneyToTheStart of doing social good had just begun.”
Strategic handholding of grassroots organizations and helping them leverage the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon philanthropy was a key focus for United Way Delhi. Happy with the success and visibility for the cause, many of the partnering organizations have started brainstorming and discussing for the next edition.
Vivek Singh, Jt MD of race promoters Procam International, said: “Charity has played a big role in distance running since time immemorial. Kudos to the people of Delhi for turning the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon into one of India’s largest sports philanthropy platforms with their generous participation in the spirit of giving.”
About United Way Delhi
United Way Delhi (UWD) is an independent local not-for-profit organization affiliated with the United Way Worldwide Family – one of the World’s Largest Leadership with 1800 affiliate chapters across 41 countries. United Way Delhi (UWD), since 2008, has been working actively to advance the ‘common good’ for the local community through innovative social impact interventions and partnerships under domains including foundational learning, quality education, healthcare, environment, livelihood, and disaster response, across the country.
ABOUT VEDANTA
Vedanta Limited is one of the world’s leading natural resouces company with significant operations in Oil & Gas, Zinc, Lead, Silver, Copper, Iron Ore, Steel, and Aluminium & Power across India, South Africa and Namibia. For two decades, Vedanta has been contributing significantly to nation building. Governance and sustainable development are at the core of Vedanta’s strategy, with a strong focus on health, safety, and environment. Vedanta has put in place a comprehensive framework to be the ESG leader in the natural resources sector. Vedanta is committed to reducing carbon emissions to zero by 2050 or sooner and has pledged $5 billion over the next 10 years to accelerate the transition to net zero operations. Giving back is in the DNA of Vedanta, which is focused on enhancing the lives of local communities. The company’s flagship social impact program, Nand Ghars, have been set up as model anganwadis focused on eradicating child malnutrition, providing education, healthcare, and empowering women with skill development. Under the aegis of the Anil Agarwal Foundation, the umbrella entity for Vedanta’s social initiatives, the Vedanta group has pledged Rs 5000 crore over the next five years on social impact programmes with a thrust on nutrition, women & child development, healthcare, animal welfare, and grass-root level sports.
For more information, please visit www.vedantalimited.com
