SNF RUN: Running into the Future – June 23rd 2019

The race includes 6K and 10K runs, as well as a 1K run for Special Olympics athletes. The first two races will start at the Panathenaic Stadium, at 20:50 and 21:10 respectively, with runners crossing the city center and then, via Leoforos Syngrou, arriving at the finish line at the SNFCC running track. The SNF RUN: Running into the Future is not competitive in nature, but official times will be kept so that runners can know how they perform. The race’s awards ceremony will be accompanied by a spectacular fireworks display and followed by a concert by the popular Greek singer Alkistis Protopsalti, wrapping up the first day of this year’s SNFestival (23-30 June) on a truly festive note!

 

Live commentary on the SNF RUN: Running into the Future will be provided by journalist and iMEdD (incubator for Media Education and Development) Managing Director Anna-Kynthia Bousdoukou. Organization of the race is overseen by the non-profit organization Regeneration & Progress.

 

To sign up, please click here.

 

 

This year, in addition to the joy of taking part in the race, runners who wish to do so can experience the pleasure of contributing to a good cause. The race will have a charitable element benefiting organizations that devote their work to supporting people with disabilities through sport. The organizations receiving support through this year’s SNF RUN are KETHIS (the Therapeutic Riding Center of Serres), PASKA (the Hellenic Sports Club for Physically Disabled People), and the PERPATO Association for People with Mobility Problems and Friends, Prefecture of Rodopi.

 

The amount given by participating runners to these non-profit organizations will be tripled through a contribution from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF). For each €5 contribution (the minimum suggested amount), for instance, SNF will contribute an additional €10. In this way, the organization will receive €15 for each €5 contribution from a runner.

 

GET TO KNOW THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT WILL BENEFIT FROM THE RACE

 

 

The Therapeutic Riding Center of Serres – KETHIS is a volunteer-driven, non-profit organization serving people with disabilities, such as cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, post-stroke disability, central nervous system disorders, autism, intellectual disabilities, and psychiatric disorders.

 

Therapy at KETHIS utilizes a horse’s movement, its warmth, and its ability to interact and communicate with humans. Through teamwork and play, and with the horse as a very powerful incentive according to international scientific research, unique physical, mental, sensory, and psychological benefits can be attained. KETHIS equestrians have participated for many years in Special Olympics Hellas. The Center provides free accommodation to all those interested in equine-assisted therapy who live near Serres. The cost of organizing and operating the Center, the equipment and care of the horses, and the training of assistants and instructors are only some of the costs that KETHIS is required to cover on a daily basis.

 

 

 

 

The Hellenic Sports Club for Physically Disabled People was founded in 1987 and is based in the National Rehabilitation Center in Ilion, Attica. It was the first sports club for people with motor disabilities founded in Greece and contributed significantly to the establishment of the Pan-Hellenic Championship for Disabled People, which began in 1988.

 

Today, PASKΑ has 90 athletes competing in various clubs. Additionally, a large number of people with disabilities participate periodically in mass sports programs, as well as in innovative programs designed to improve their physical well-being and their ability to move autonomously. The ultimate aim is empowering physical and psychological independence and effective social integration. A basic tool for implementing all these programs are the sports facilities maintained by PASKA: a specially adapted gym, a table tennis room, and more.

 

 

 

 

PERPATO is a non-profit organization founded in Komotini in 2002. In 2012, with support from SNF, it founded the Autonomous Living Training Center for People with Disabilities. This training and support center ensures the fundamental right of people with disabilities to independent living, psychosocial rehabilitation, and the development of skills and competences in such a way that they can live as autonomously and actively as possible in their home environment.

 

At the same time, with the help of the specialized staff, individualized support is developed according to the needs of each, aiming to improve their quality of life at the Center and at home. Participants take part in a personalized autonomy program that may include using a wheelchair and a ramp, managing their personal hygiene, participating in the water rehabilitation program, using a standing frame, and more.

 

 

 

 

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Contributions will be made online to each organization (payment via debit or credit card), through the non-profit organization Regeneration & Progress, which supervises the organization of the race. Regeneration & Progress will then transfer the full amount designated for each of the three non-profit organizations, respectively.

 

The Stavros Niarchos Foundation is a philanthropic organization that operates exclusively through grants made by SNF to non-profit organizations. SNF does not solicit or accept donations from individuals, corporations or other types of organizations.

 

The SNF RUN: Running into the Future is implemented through an exclusive grant by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, which covers all of the race’s expenses as part of the Summer Nostos Festival. The race is held under the organizational supervision of Regeneration & Progress and the medical supervision of the First Orthopedic Clinic of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA); in collaboration with the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC) and the Hellenic Olympic Committee (HOC); with the contribution of the National Center for Emergency Care (EKAV); and under the auspices of the Hellenic Police.