26,000 Adecco colleagues will cycle 2 million km by year end to guarantee a Group donation for disadvantaged youngsters
Zurich, Switzerland, September 1, 2014. A team of 86 Adecco Win4Youth ‘ambassadors’ from 35 countries cycled up the Col du Tourmalet, the renowned climb which is part of the Tour de France, as the highlight event of the 2014 Win4Youth project. The annual initiative by Adecco, the global leader in HR solutions, supports foundations giving young people a better start in life and work while fostering the engagement and values of Adecco employees through sport. In 2014 over 26,000 Adecco employees worldwide have been cycling for Win4Youth.
On August 30, the 86-strong Adecco team cycled up the Col du Tourmalet, the famous Tour de France mountain climb, marking the most important event in the 2014 Win4Youth programme. From Luz-Saint-Saveur, the climb conquers 1,405 m of elevation over 19 km on an average gradient of 7.8%. In order to face this heroic challenge, the cyclists were professionally trained during a couple of months. At the finish line they were welcomed by Adecco Group CEO Patrick de Maeseneire, together with the recently appointed ‘CEO for One month’ Paola Ospina, at her first official engagement.
Holding high the Adecco values of team spirit, responsibility, passion, entrepreneurship and customer focus, the Adecco team contributed to this year’s Win4Youth goal: to cycle over 2 million kilometres, 5 times the distance between the Earth and the Moon, to ensure a Group donation to charities who work to ensure disadvantaged young people get a better start in life, improve their skills and enhance their chances of finding work. Over 26,000 Adecco colleagues worldwide have joined the cause in 2014 and will keep cycling together to reach the target by the end of the year, while also embracing a dynamic and healthy lifestyle.
The 2014 Win4Youth initiative will benefit five foundations across the world:
• Friends-International, a Cambodian charity that works with marginalized urban children and youth, helping them to become productive, independent citizens of their country;
• Argentinian Cartoneros y sus Chicos tutors children during and after school so that they can improve their education and their future possibilities in the world of work.;
• Ajuda de Mãe, a Portuguese organisation that helps teenage mothers to get an education and the qualifications that will enable them to enter the world of work and provide for their babies;
• Polska Fundacja Dzieci i Młodzieży, a Polish charity that ensures that youngsters from small villages get the right schooling, giving them the chance and the life-skills to face the future
• Bimbingamba, founded in Italy by former racing driver and paracyclist Alex Zanardi, makes artificial limbs for children from all over the world who have undergone amputations and do not have access to proper healthcare. London Paralympic Gold Medallist Zanardi is also the official Godfather of the 2014Win4Youth initiative.
Now in its fifth year, Win4Youth has already raised over €1.28m for youth charities and sports events have been organised in more than 60 countries. In previous editions, Adecco colleagues have taken part in major sporting challenges to raise funds, including the NY Marathon, the Athens Classic Marathon, the Garmin Barcelona Triathlon and a cycle up Mont Ventoux, in France.
ENDS
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About Win4Youth
Adecco’s Win4Youth initiative is a sports and skill development programme involving our employees, associates and clients worldwide. The main purpose of Win4Youth is to raise money for disadvantaged young people and improve their future chances of successfully entering the job market. At the same time, it allows Adecco employees to live the company’s values and keep fit. For every kilometer covered by an employee, associate or client, Adecco Group donates money to selected youth development projects around the world.
To date, Win4Youth funds have been donated to foundations in India, France, Spain, USA, Haiti, Chile, Brazil, Philippines, Greece, China, Morocco, New Zealand, Belgium, Colombia and Thailand,
About the Adecco Group
The Adecco Group, based in Zurich, Switzerland, is the world’s leading provider of HR solutions. With over 31,500 FTE employees and more than 5,000 branches, in over 60 countries and territories around the world, Adecco Group offers a wide variety of services, connecting more than 650,000 associates with our clients every day. The services offered fall into the broad categories of temporary staffing, permanent placement, career transition and talent development, as well as outsourcing and consulting. The Adecco Group is a Fortune Global 500 company.
Adecco S.A. is registered in Switzerland (ISIN: CH0012138605) and listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (ADEN).
