Early every year, employees of Veritas Pune and their families come together for Veritas Run (VRun), a fun run that always supports a cause. VRun 2024 took place on Saturday, 13 January 2024. In the wee hours of the morning, a crowd of around 1600+ poured out of the Veritas Balewadi, Pune office and took to the streets in orange VRun t-shirts. This was the largest turn-out for VRun since the lockdown. The tagline for VRun – Run to conquer – takes on different meanings for each of us. I, personally, run to conquer the lethargy of a desk job and keep myself healthy and motivated.
However, that is not the only reason I am a part of this event. Every year, the organization zeroes in on a cause that can be supported through VRun and this time it was eradication of anemia. A local non-profit, the SNEH Foundation, is partnering with us on ‘mission zero anemia’ where their efforts are focussed on decreasing the prevalence of anemia through preventive and curative measures.
As per the foundation’s data, approximately 40% of children, 37% of pregnant women, and 30% of women globally suffer from anemia. Through the Dollars for Doers program, Veritas will contribute towards this cause on behalf of each employee participating in VRun 2024.
If this wasn’t reason enough, I am also driven by the dedication and enthusiasm of my colleagues who worked with me to plan and execute VRun. A group of 15 highly motivated and driven employees came together to make this event a reality. We had 20 volunteers managing the crowd at the venue and on the streets.
They say Rome wasn’t built in a day. Likewise, planning for the run started in October of last year and culminated in the successful event this past Saturday. The team worked on everything right from the internal branding of the event, distribution of t-shirts, and the arrangements for D-day, to the creative collateral, collaboration with the non-profit and crowd management.
It is this excitement and collaboration that reminds me why I am a part of #TeamVeritas. I am waiting eagerly for the next VRun. A lot of people run a race to see who the fastest is, but I ‘run to conquer’.