CPA is running Steptember, a 28-day team-based, active fundraising event that aims to support the 40,000 Australians living with Cerebral Palsy
They want to see a record number of Australians participating in the event that’s been running since 2010, which has already raised millions of dollars and last year attracted more than 92,000 participants.
Each team-member is encouraged to take the equivalent of at least 10,000 steps a day during the challenge, which equates to around eight kilometres a day or 240 kilometres over the 28-day period.
But it’s not all about walking when aiming to meet the target. Steptember shares a number of other options that will get you closer to the 10,000 step mark including dance (97 steps a minute) and casual soccer (207 steps a minute). They also offer other ways to log being active through their website that’ll track your progress, such as through swimming, yoga, surfing and cross-fit.
Once you sign up to Steptember, they’ll give you a pedometer so you can measure your steps over the month, starting from 4 September.
Lucy Jacka, the General Manager of Fundraising at CPA, sat down with Sarah Harris recently to discuss the importance of fundraising.
She said that it’s through programs like Steptember that they’re able to fund services and support programs for babies, children, teenagers and their families, as well as research.
“When we started the research foundation 12 years ago there was less than a million dollars being put into Cerebral Palsy research in Australia,” she says.
“Since then, our foundation has put $36 million into research into Cerebral Palsy and funded over 300 projects. Those projects are done by the best and brightest researchers all around the world.”
Jacka said they’re hoping to see more than 100,000 people participating in this year’s Steptember challenge, and raise more than $7.8 million in the process.
“It only takes a small donation from every participant to reach that number, so we’re very optimistic,” she says.
Cerebral Palsy affects one in 500 babies born in Australia. It’s a life-long physical disability that causes damage to the brain, leaving one in four of those living with it in chronic pain, and one in four being unable to talk.
The Steptember challenge follows new research by Steptember that finds Australians are more likely to raise money for charity if they can do it as part of a team, and that team-based challenges motivate individuals to reach their goals.
To register your company or team’s support, and for more details on this worthy cause, visit www.steptember.org.au.
Your Steptember kit, consisting of a pedometer, lanyard and booklet, will be delivered right to your doorstep.
Every dollar you, or our company raises, will provide vital equipment, therapy and services to children and adults living with cerebral palsy. Or, you can choose to raise funds for ground-breaking research into the prevention and maybe even one day a cure.
This content is published in partnership with The Carousel’s Game Changers Video and Podcast series.