Aon Kicks Off Second Leg of Epic Soccer Journey through Africa
Published |
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2012
Thu
26
Jan
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“Pass It On” initiative to engage clients, colleagues and communities as Manchester United football travels from Cape to Cairo
Aon South Africa kicked off the second leg of its eight month Cape to Cairo journey from its head office in Sandton last week. Aon staff members set off in four branded vehicles for the second leg of the journey - two teams will travel along a western route with the next office stop in Francistown Botswana, and another two teams will travel an eastern route via Swaziland. A total of 19 Africa offices will be visited along the routes with official Manchester United Footballs being passed on from one office to the next along the journey.
Four Aon-branded vehicles, two travelling along a 12595 km Western route and two vehicles travelling on a 11693km Eastern route, form part of the “Pass it on” initiative designed to engage Aon colleagues, clients and communities. As the balls pass through each office, Aon colleagues around the world will celebrate Aon’s commitment to local communities by organising various charitable activities and client events.
The Cape to Cairo route is one of three in an eight-month program that commenced on October 24 in three “start cities:” Hobart, Australia; Cape Town, South Africa; and Punta Arenas, Chile. Three regional route teams from Aon—Asia Pacific, EMEA, and the Americas—will compete for points as they pass Manchester United footballs along three transcontinental routes covering a total of approximately 180,000 kilometers, nearly four-and-a-half times the Earth’s circumference. The footballs will stop at Aon offices and other points of interest around the world and meet up in London in June 2012, where they will be auctioned off for charity at Aon’s 25th Anniversary Gala Celebration at Lloyd’s of London. Aon is the principal partner and global shirt sponsor of Manchester United.
Anton Roux, Chairman and CEO of Aon South Africa adds: “’Pass It On’ is designed to touch the lives of three very important stakeholders in Aon - firstly our clients get to experience the true capacity of what Aon can do for their personal and business insurance and risk mitigation, and be part of an initiative that is about enabling economic and human possibility everywhere. Secondly, our colleagues get to be part of a collaborative journey that serves as a unifying, engaging, and educational tool for colleagues and be actively involved in what is happening and thirdly, our local communities are the cornerstone of empowering human and economic possibility, and we want Pass It On to involve and support them,” explains Anton.
The Cape Town to Johannesburg leg was completed in November 2011, with Aon offices along the route participating in various charity initiatives to raise funds and invest time and resources into uplifting local communities. These included:
· The Sandton office organised a soccer skills and drills programme for local school coaches and previously disadvantaged children, with the official Manchester United Soccer School (MUSS) and legend Denis Irwin.
· Aon’s Bloemfontein office supported Lebone House, a place of safety for AIDS orphans with food collections, soccer balls for the children and a financial contribution.
· Aon’s Cape Town office committed to assisting Afrika Tikkun, a charity organisation working with under-privileged communities within the Western Cape.
· The Pietermaritzburg office supported the local SPCA with much need supplies and food.
· Aon’s Paarl office supported Bowy House, a home for babies and young children in need, from poverty- stricken families who are infected with or affected by HIV\Aids.
· Aon Durban donated new toys and R30 000 collected by staff and clients to East Coast Radio’s Toy Story initiative which supports children affected by the ravages of HIV/Aids in KZN.
· Aon’s Pretoria office provided desperately needed bathroom upgrades for the Transoranje School for the Deaf. In the true spirit of the Pass It On campaign, Silverton Industries, one of Aon’s clients also jumped in to assist with donations of kitchen equipment for the canteen and they will be revamping the cold room facility which has been out of operation for years. The Transoranje School for the Deaf provides specialized education for children with severe hearing disabilities. Some of the school’s learners are further disadvantaged by having multiple disabilities - some are also mentally and visually impaired and most are from disadvantaged communities.
· Aon Swaziland planted trees at the Baylor College of Medicine and visited the SOS Children’s village in Siteki to check on progress of the playground upgrade after staff assisted with bush clearing around the area in August last year.
Aon has always taken seriously its community responsibilities. “Our mantra is that we give back to those communities in which we do business, and considering we do business in more than 120 countries, this leaves us a wide scope for charitable work. In partnering with Manchester United, we have the opportunity to work with a club that shares our values in this regard,” concludes Anton.
Pass It On is the second phase in Aon’s global employee engagement program designed to engage the firm’s colleagues, families and communities. Last year, Aon’s inaugural Follow the Football initiative focused on the launch of its four-year global sponsorship with Manchester United, the number one brand in the world’s number one sport.
Nine official Manchester United footballs visited 50 Aon offices in 28 countries around the world and travelled 154,000 kilometres in nine months. One Aon colleague from each office who best embodied the traits in Aon’s Leadership Model was selected to sign the football in their office. Aon also hosted more than 70 global townhall meetings since engaging in the partnership, and held its first annual Aon United REDy day in June 2010, where Aon colleagues around the world participated in fundraising events for over 200 unique charity partners.
To follow the Pass It On competition or learn more about the program, visit www.aonpassiton.com
Source: Teresa Settas Communications
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