Making dreams come true for seriously ill children – that is the aim of the first Porsche Virtual Run. From September 17 through October 3, 2021, employees worldwide can get active and raise 50 cents for every kilometer they run. The sports car manufacturer will donate the total amount raised to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which helps to make dreams come true for children in the most challenging of situations. The hope is that these positive experiences give children and their families the strength they need in their fight against illness. To date, more than 500,000 children worldwide have benefited from this.
In 2021, the Porsche Virtual Run will replace the traditional six-hour run at the company’s headquarters in Zuffenhausen, Stuttgart, which is not able to take place due to coronavirus restrictions. The new format will bring together Porsche employees worldwide for a good cause – and in keeping with Porsche’s brand purpose “Driven by dreams."
Generating rays of hope for seriously ill children and their families
“With the virtual run, we are going the extra mile for children who are not doing so well,” says Oliver Blume, Chairman of the Executive Board of Porsche. “When children become seriously ill, it turns the lives of the affected families upside down overnight. It is a huge challenge to stay optimistic in such circumstances. Together with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, we want to create as many rays of hope as possible. The Porsche family will be putting its heart and soul as well as its sporting enthusiasm into this.”
For the Porsche Virtual Run, it doesn’t matter if people walk or jog the distances. The distance and frequency of the runs are also chosen by the participants themselves. In the U.S., approximately 70 Porsche employees had already signed up to participate before the start date. Anyone wishing to take part can simply register with the PUMATRAC app and start running. You are welcome to buy yourself a Virtual Run shirt, the proceeds from which will also go to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. As a little incentive, Porsche staff members can take on three legendary race tracks: Le Mans (13.626 kilometers/8.49 miles), the Nürburgring Nordschleife (20.83 kilometers/12.94 miles) or the Targa Florio (72 kilometers/44.73 miles) – in stages, of course.
The Make-A-Wish-Foundation
The Make-A-Wish-Foundation was set up in 1983 in Phoenix, Arizona. It was here, thanks to a private parents’ initiative, that the first wish was fulfilled for Chris, who was suffering from leukaemia: his grandma sewed a uniform, a police officer friend donated badges and Chris was allowed to accompany the police chief of the precinct on his patrol for a day. In 1993, the Make-A-Wish International Foundation was established. The organization is exclusively funded by donations and has also been active in Germany since 2018.
