Following on from last year’s successful effort, in which over £10,000 was raised, Sumir Karayi, CEO of 1E, returned to the streets of the capital for the London Marathon last Sunday. Sumir was again fundraising on behalf of the British Association for Adoption and Fostering (BAAF), the UK’s leading adoption and fostering charity, and this time he had company.
Sumir along with Will Edmondson, Chief Financial Officer and Nick Milne-Home, Chief Operating Officer and President of 1E North America, crossed the line in an impressive 4 hours 16 minutes.
Dressed during the race in distinctive sunflower outfits, they have so far raised £20,000; almost double last year’s total. This comes from around £10,000 in donations, which 1E have then matched. The trio had been aiming for £15,000, so have well surpassed that mark.
Sumir, who was running his second London Marathon after finishing the 2013 race, and who managed to beat his PB by a quarter of an hour, said after the race, “I was keen to return after last year’s race, and once again the passionate support of the London crowds was a huge help in pushing us around the course. It has been great fun training, running, and fundraising for the London Marathon.”
A keen supporter of BAAF, Sumir continued, “There is a serious message behind our costume choice. We hope that our work with BAAF brings Sunshine to the lives of those children who struggle to find adoptive parents. Our aim was to raise £15,000, and to surpass that by such a distance is testament to the generosity and spirit of our friends, colleagues, and acquaintances, and the worthiness of this great cause. All three of us feel tremendously privileged to have been able to support BAAF in this way.”
Marta Montague, Corporate and Major Donor Fundraiser at BAAF, said “All of us at the BAAF office were very excited about Sumir, Nick and William running in the London Marathon in support of BAAF’s work. As if that was not enough of a challenge they chose to run dressed as Sunflowers on what was quite a warm day! We were wondering whether we would be able to spot them, and awaited in anticipation at our main point between mile 22 and 23. We needn’t have worried as long before we saw them at mile 22, we spotted them across the road at mile 13. I have also received many “I just saw three 1E-BAAF sunflowers” messages from colleagues and supporters at different points.
“Sumir, Nick and William were amazing, finished in a great time and made the London Marathon look easy. They also inspired so many to generously support them too. We are very grateful to the three 1E sunflowers, everyone at 1E and all that sponsored them.
“1E has been BAAF’s supporter for a decade now and we feel very privileged to work with such an amazing company led by Sumir whose commitment to charitable work is second to none. It is with support like this that we are able to find more families for children who cannot be with their birth parents.”
BAAF Chief Executive, Srabani Sen added, “I cannot tell you have grateful we are to Sumir, Nick and William for running the London Marathon on Sunday to raise vital funds for BAAF. We simply couldn’t do our critical work without that support. It was fantastic to see the three of them on Sunday. They looked just as strong at mile 22 as they did at mile 13. Amazing! Thank you.”
Will Edmondson, running his fourth London Marathon, said “It’s not too late to back BAAF’s work by sponsoring us. We really appreciate all your support and thank you for any donations, they have a huge impact on so many lives. If you are a UK tax payer, please remember to tick the Gift Aid box, it makes a big difference and doesn’t cost you a penny extra.”
Visit their fundraising page at https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/1e2014.