Gütersloh, 04/29/2020

Thomas Rabe To ‘Run Up’ €100,000 In Aid

€500 for a rowing marathon. €200 for 90 kilometers of cycling. €50 for a 10-kilometer run. In his personal Twitter fitness challenge, Thomas Rabe calls on people to stay fit with endurance sports during the coronavirus crisis while also helping those who are particularly hard hit by the crisis. He has pledged a donation for every kilometer – in aid of street kids in Berlin.

From the New York Marathon to the marathons in Berlin and Zermatt, Thomas Rabe is a veteran of some of the great classics in marathon sports. Usually, he runs and trains for himself. Every day, as a balance to his job as CEO of Bertelsmann. Now, however, he has decided to run, row, and ride his racing bike with others and for others. In his Fitness Challenge, Thomas Rabe personally calls for people to complete endurance distances in various disciplines and lengths. For every kilometer that he and others cover, Rabe will donate funds to the Straßenkinder Verein (e.V.) in Berlin – up to a total of €100,000.

The nonprofit takes care of street kids in Berlin, with a view to getting them off the streets as quickly as possible and supporting and guiding them on their way back into society. The association also takes preventive measures to ensure that things don’t escalate to that point to begin with by actively combating child poverty and educational deprivation. Integrating displaced girls and boys and protecting children from violence and sexual abuse are also among the main focuses of the work done by Straßenkinder Verein.

Given the effects widespread lockdown, the work of such an association seems more important than ever: “Triggered by the coronavirus crisis, we are currently seeing street kids and those affected by child poverty, who are in constant crisis as it is, being additionally put into an even more precarious situation,” says Eckhard Baumann, initiator and chairman of Straßenkinder e.V. He continues: “Even now, during the COVID-19 crisis, we are taking care of these socially disadvantaged kids. Thomas Rabe’s initiative is a great way to support our project for street children.” Because, as he adds: “Even when the Corona crisis has been medically defeated, we will probably have a lot of damaged children.”

Thomas Rabe is linking support for the association’s cause with his own love of sports: “The work of Straßenkinder e.V. in Berlin deserves the highest recognition and really every form of support,” says Rabe, who has personally been involved in providing the children with computers or mobile phones, social worker placement, or in the difficult search for suitable accommodation for homeless youths in Berlin. “Especially now, under the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, we mustn’t lose sight of the weakest members of our society,” urges Rabe.

His Fitness Challenge has another goal as well: “Endurance sports strengthen the cardiovascular and circulatory system. Medical science agrees that it can also strengthen the body’s defenses against a coronavirus infection or at least against a severe progression. That is another thing I would like to draw attention to, and specifically encourage people to exercise to stay healthy.” The distances Thomas Rabe has set are demanding but doable – and above all, they are well worth it in every respect. Here is an overview:

Run (Indoor/Outdoor):
10 km = € 50
Half-marathon = € 200
Marathon = € 500

Cycle (Indoor/Outdoor):
60 km = € 50
90 km = € 200
150 km = € 500

Row (Indoor):
10 km = € 50
Half-marathon = € 200
Marathon = € 500

The maximum that an individual can run, ride or row up for charity under the challenge is €1,000. Entire teams can also register to participate. And, of course, Bertelsmann employees. “The only proof needed is the post of a personal picture of the athlete after their performance, and a picture of the display of their fitness watch, rowing machine, or bicycle speedometer showing the course,” says Thomas Rabe, who will be running the Fitness Challenge on his Twitter account @ThomasRabe (#SupportStrassenkinderBerlin). He concludes: “I myself plan to do a rowing marathon, a half-marathon run, and 90K on a racing bike.”

If you would like to support children and young people in precarious situations in Berlin without having to commit to sports, you can of course also make a donation directly. All the necessary information is posted at Strassenkinder-ev.de.