* Following the government measures concerning COVID-19 during the period of the race, and keeping the safety of runners as a top priority, the SNF RUN: 2022 FIRST RUN got cancelled.
This New Year’s Day, get a running start for 2022 with the first run of the year, the SNF RUN: FIRST RUN from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF)! Get dressed to the nines (or whatever size running shoe your wear) and join the SNF RUN: 2022 FIRST RUN at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC) in Athens, organized in collaboration with the nonprofit Regeneration & Progress.
The invitation to participate in the run is open to all sports lovers, and the short course covers a 3-km route around the festively decorated SNFCC. The run starts at four minutes after midnight, right after we ring in the New Year with an unforgettable fireworks show, and will be followed by a big party at the SNFCC Agora!
This year, along with the race, the SNFCC Christmas World will see the return of ice skating, light installations, music, festive fountain choreographies, and many more events.
Your participation – A gift to children in need
Once again this year, your participation in the SNF RUN: FIRST RUN translates into support for the important work of nonprofit organizations that serve children. The two organizations that will be supported this year are: “Iliaxtida” Parents, Guardians & Friends Association of People with Autism, and Jump Ball of Love.
The nominal participation fee for the run (minimum suggested donation of €5) will be double-matched by SNF, tripling the amount donated to these organizations through runners’ efforts.
Get to know the non-profit organizations that will be supported
Iliahtida
The “Iliaxtida” Parents, Guardians & Friends Association of People with Autism was founded in 2007 in Serres, Greece, to support people with autism and their families, while also providing information and raising awareness about disability.
Since 2015, it has run the Center for the Creative Activity for Children with Disabilities, which serves 34 people with disabilities on a five-day-a-week basis. The Center offers educational programs and pre-vocational training workshops, such as pottery, ceramics and cooking, aimed at promoting social integration, opening opportunities for creativity, enhancing skills, and offering preparation for future employment.
Donations from runners in SNF RUN: 2022 FIRST RUN, supplemented through additional support from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), will help cover the operations for the above programs, as well as the cost participants' visits to external workshops.
Jump Ball of Love
Jump Ball of Love is an innovative basketball-based program for kids with autism spectrum disorders. Its immediate goal is to offer students attending Special Schools in Greece opportunities for socialization through basketball, with coaching provided by volunteers. Bigger picture, it aims to see integrated co-education for kids with and without autism spectrum disorders.
The program is in its sixth year, and since 2016, more than 200 children from Special Schools all over Greece have participated in its Special Basketball Education methodology.
Donations from runners in SNF RUN: 2022 FIRST RUN, supplemented through additional support from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), will help cover educational needs for kids in Attica during the current school year (2021-22) and strengthen curriculum planning for teachers around Greece.
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*The SNF RUN: 2022 FIRST RUN race is not competitive in nature. However, official times will be kept so that runners can know how they perform in achieving their first goal for 2022.
* Runners with a vaccination certificate or a COVID certificate (issued a maximum of 6 months prior) can take part in the event, in accordance to the latest guidelines of the Greek General Secretariat of Sport (GSS).
* The SNF RUN: 2022 FIRST RUN is implemented through an exclusive grant from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), which covers the full cost of the race. The run 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). The event is implemented in collaboration with the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC).
* Contributions to each of this year’s partner nonprofits will be made online (via debit or credit card), through the nonprofit organization Regeneration & Progress, which supervises the organization of the race. Regeneration & Progress will then transfer the full amount designated for each of the partner nonprofit organizations to them.
The Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) is a philanthropic organization that operates exclusively by making grants to nonprofit organizations. SNF does not solicit or accept donations from individuals, corporations, or other types of organizations.