A Remarkable Workplace Wellness Initiative with a Purposeful Impact
Debbie Blackwell, Melanie Bowhill, Jo Ferguson, Leah Sheppard, and Marc Bishop met in the office at 6 p.m. to begin the 24-hour spinathon. In front of observers and other office colleagues, they proved that the impossible did not exist and that they were capable of moving mountains to support children, despite tiredness, thirst, hunger, and the need to sleep.
The story behind the challenge
Having gone through the loss of a sibling, I knew how important it was to have support around us. Often this came in the form of a charity. Often volunteers that were trained to listen, offer feedback and provide information. They helped us as a family make sense of what we had been through and explore our options to help us regain feelings of control.
I guessed that was why every year as a family we sat and watched Children in Need. How could we do our bit, give back to those that helped us and help other children and their families. That was where the idea for a 24 hours Spinathon was born.
I was aware that there were many of us that were kind enough to give to many charities and that we were asked to do so on a daily basis. We hoped that setting ourselves a 24 hours Spinathon would show our commitment to raising money for a wonderful local charity.
Why this particular charity, and what does it do?
Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity was a local charity with a centre in Southampton. Rainbow Trust supported families who had children aged 0-18 years with a life-threatening or terminal illness.
When a child had a serious illness, family life was turned upside down and time became more precious than ever. Rainbow Trust paired each family with an expert Family Support Worker who enabled them to make the most of time together, giving them practical and emotional support, whenever they needed it, for as long as was needed.
They supported the whole family including parents, carers, the unwell child, brothers, sisters, and grandparents.
What could I have done to help that initiative?
Each participant had their own dedicated fundraising website, where you could have donated any amount, knowing that each donation, large or small, made a big impact!
Simply following that link: The Spoke-Tacular Static Bikers fundraising for Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity on JustGiving
That incredible challenge could have been followed throughout on Instagram, where films and photographs were shared on a regular basis: HR Path (@hr_path)
We kept our fingers crossed for them, and they were amazing!
