Here at Jacobi we take our corporate social responsibility very seriously. Wherever we can, we want to help to make the world a better place by supporting causes that work towards improving people’s lives.
When CEO, Remko Goudappel, heard about a hospital run to raise funds for coronavirus patients and research, he knew he wanted Jacobi to be involved and quickly got in touch with the organisers to make a donation of €1000.
“As soon as I found out about this event, I knew it was important for us to donate,” said Remko. “The initiative of the hospital run connects very well with the European Jacobi team’s initiative to run from Italy to Sweden and raise money for the fight against Covid-19. As part of the group’s sustainability actions supporting worthwhile causes, we want to support the fight against Covid-19.”
About the run
Barry Lutgens, a cleaning manager and experienced long distance runner from the Netherlands, ran a 130km route along all of Limburg’s major hospitals in just 24 hours! He began at Viecruri MC Venlo and finished Maastricht UMC+, stopping at four other hospitals in between and taking a moment at each to pause and show thanks and appreciation to the hospitals’ staff. Barry’s run has been sponsored by many large organisations, including Nike, and has collected donations from the public too.
“It felt amazing to complete such a long run,” said Barry. “While I was running I thought multiple times ‘What did I get myself into? This is crazy!’ But quitting was never an option.”
How did it come about?
Barry came up with the whole idea alone. He wanted to do something to contribute towards the global fight against coronavirus. Barry’s own running events had been cancelled because of the virus, freeing him up to organise a fundraising event to thank the staff working in the hospitals and to raise some money. The idea to run from hospital to hospital was entirely his own!
As far as we know, this is the first time this has been done, but organisers are hoping that it won’t be the last. There are plans to hold the run for more participants in 2021 and raise even more funds for good causes.
Where does the money go?
All funds go towards supporting the fight against coronavirus and this is separated into a few different sections. The first is research which aims to give us a deeper understanding of the virus and ensure we’re better equipped to fight it. The second is to investigate why there has been a shortage of medical resources and look at how we can change that should there be a resurgence of the virus. Finally, funds will also go towards the rehabilitation of patients who are recovered from the virus but still living with its effects. This rehabilitation covers both physical and psychological effects. All of these projects take place within the six hospitals on Barry’s route.
Though the run is now over, you can still get involved too. For further information on the project, including the different ways you can donate, click here.