The BDO Get BACk Challenge is now in its fifth year of operation having starting in 2006. An annual charity cycle and walk are the main fundraising drivers in addition to attracting corporate support from businesses throughout the region donations. The BDO Get BACk Challenge was initially developed to bring businesses and their associates together to raise funds in tackling cancer using a ‘top down’ (care) and ‘bottom up’ (prevention) approach.
The top down ‘care’ approach is designed to fund palliative home care programmes run by local hospices for those unfortunate to be affected by Cancer. The bottom up ‘preventative’ approach is funded on adopting a proactive approach to living a healthy and active lifestyle particularly among young people and counteract the growing issue of obesity and its associated problems. The idea is that encouraging activity among kids and a healthy lifestyle will reduce their risk of contracting life threatening illnesses later in life and that they will carry through a health focus with them in life. The principal target groups are those living in the social disadvantaged areas of the region who are most affected by the problems of obesity through a combination of a lack of sport participation opportunities.
While the acronym (Get BACk) represents a unifying theme of Business Against Cancer it also embraces our key message of getting back to exercise, looking at diet and well being, back to basics!. This year will see us aim to reach €0.75 million euros in direct contributions to both Hospice Care programmes and activity for social and sporting disadvantaged children in just four years of the events existence.
The bottom up approach works through our alliance with the Local Sports Partnerships under the auspices of the Irish Sports Council. They operate predominately in areas of social and sporting disadvantage. A range of schools programmes are also developed to ensure the broader message of activity counteracting obesity is communicated.
Visit the programmes section in our website for full details. An audit by the Limerick City Sports Partnership revealed that almost 4,000 children benefited from the support provided by the 2008 event.
