Connections
Company + Airport
Who:
Änne Jacobs of Änne Jacobs Marketing and Events for Kraft Foods
Michael Otremba, vice president of non-aviation marketing for the Munich Airport
Event:
Kinder Laufen für Kinder (Children Run for Children)
Munich Airport
April 26
A child shrieks excitedly as the starting shot rings out across Munich Airport Visitors Park and hundreds of children race, scamper, barrel and trip their ways across the lawn.
Welcome to the annual kick-off event for Kinder laufen für Kinder (Children Run for Children), which benefits not only young athletes and families in attendance, but also raises money for the nonprofit SOS Children’s Villages—an international organization that aids children who lack parental care or whose families face economic challenges.
More than 500 children attended the 2009 opening event at Munich Airport, but during the campaign’s six-year history, more than 337,000 students have run more than 1.1 million miles and raised more than US$4.6 million. Sponsored by Kraft Cares, the social initiative of Kraft Foods, and the German government, the program encompasses hundreds of smaller events spanning late spring to early autumn—all encouraging exercise and healthy eating and all raising money for children in need across the globe.
One in seven German children between the ages of 3 and 17 years are overweight, according to independent planner Änne Jacobs, who coordinated the 2009 kick-off, and the far-reaching consequences threaten the healthy development of children. She says the Kraft Cares program was developed to combat childhood obesity and promote healthy lifestyles in countries across the globe.
So each spring, Jacobs welcomes hundreds of children and their families to Munich Airport for a day of sport, fun, games, music and—of course—healthy food. Each child recruits sponsors before the event and raises donations for each mile they run. Here, neither speed nor talent counts, just the initiative to exercise, learn and raise money for children in need.
After the main event, children roam the lawn, participating in an array of activities and visiting food stalls, learning about healthy lifestyles, nutrition and exercise. Participants also receive a certificate, event T-shirt and thank-you gift, and Kraft Cares treats them to appearances by prominent German athletes and celebrities. This year’s featured guests included former football star Thomas Helmer and his wife Yasmina Fìlali.
But no matter the quality of gift or level of celebrity, Jacobs says the Kinder laufen für Kinder kick-off event would not be successful without the help of staff and facilities at the Munich Airport, which boasts the vast outdoor visitors park as well as a 10,000-square-metre rooftop venue (not to mention a mini-golf course, cinema, shopping mall, the Municon conference centre and the FMG Training Centre, Munich Airport Academy).
“They are a very good partner for us,” she said. “They are kind and uncomplicated. They help with promotions, advertising and public relations. And they give us the space for free.”
That space normally sells for about €10,000 a day, says Michael Otremba, vice president of non-aviation marketing for the Munich Airport and staff liaison to the Kinder laufen für Kinder event. He says the annual run is just one way in which the airport is trying to integrate itself into the local community. The facility also plays host to dozens of other events including beach volleyball tournaments and football matches.
But Otremba is especially passionate about the Kinder laufen für Kinder program, which he says serves both his immediate community and the global community beyond through SOS Children’s Villages.
“Social responsibility cannot start too early,” he said. “This event combines sports activity and teaches our children that they must do good for others. This event fits within our airport’s strategy for community sustainability.”
It also positions the airport as a valuable resource to the city and an area leader in corporate social responsibility, which isn’t such a bad thing either.
—JESSIE STATES