The founder of “Turma do Bem”, Dr. Fabio Bibancos, is thrilled: “When it comes to social responsibility, this Geistlich initiative is one of the most inspiring things I experienced in 2020. Seeing how employees from 13 countries committed to a sports project was just astonishing.” The knowledge that the fundraising campaign is benefiting a well-established, urgently needed project, makes Geistlich’s pleasure even greater. A fantastic level of involvement from almost half of Geistlich’s employees resulted in 325 people around the world taking part in the first “Geistlich Charity Walk & Run”.
The urgently required funds will go directly to the charity
Geistlich do Brasil, one of twelve Geistlich subsidiaries, has worked closely with “Turma do Bem” for many years. This basis of trust and a project that promised direct aid in the form of dental procedures were crucial factors when choosing the partner. The $21,866 raised by the “Geistlich Charity Walk & Run” will benefit the “Apolônias do Bem” project, whose urgency has only been increased by the coronavirus crisis, so the funds are coming at just the right time. “Turma do Bem” runs multiple projects that focus on providing dental care to disadvantaged people.
Geistlich employees keep running
There will be a charity run next year, too. Geistlich COO Dr. Matthias Dunkel, who is himself a keen runner, said: “We’re going to be putting on our running and hiking shoes again in 2021 and getting involved in another social project. First, though, we want to wish “Turma do Bem” continued success with their important work and we are really pleased to have been a part of it.” Geistlich will identify a suitable NGO partner through its network of twelve subsidiaries. As a positive side-effect, awareness of the importance of exercise has increased as part of the internal Geistlich health initiative and employees are enthusiastic about it.