Lee Gyu-lee is a business writer at The Korea Times, focusing primarily on IT & telecommunications, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and KOTRA. Prior to this, she has covered a wide range of cultural news, from film, television and K-pop to lifestyle and fashion.
Mercedes-Benz spurs young athletes’ dreams with charity run
Participants run during Mercedes-Benz's Give 'N Race charity event in Busan, April 6. Courtesy of Mercedes-Benz
By Lee Gyu-lee
Mercedes-Benz is creating a meaningful cycle of giving with its annual charity run, Give ’N Race, aimed at supporting promising young athletes in pursuing their dreams.
As part of the initiative, the company’s social contribution committee donated 150 million won ($102,000) raised through the fundraising event to 50 adolescent and children athletes through its Give ’N Dream scholarship program in September.
Since its launch in 2020, the program has provided a total of 900 million won in scholarships to 300 talented youth. This year, it expanded its support beyond sports like taekwondo, football and judo, to now include climbing, table tennis, basketball and triathlon, offering more opportunities to young athletes in various fields.
Among this year’s awardees, figure skating prospect Lee Youn-ho was selected as a featured scholarship recipient, receiving support through the committee for competition and training expenses, equipment and injury treatment.
Give ’N Dream operates in conjunction with Give ’N Race, which was designed to encourage public participation in charity. Since 2017, the committee has hosted the run to support children and adolescents in need of social care and to spread the culture of giving.
This year’s event, held in Busan in April, drew 20,000 participants and raised over 1 billion won for the second consecutive year. To date, the event has welcomed around 145,000 participants and received more than 7.6 billion won in cumulative donations, establishing itself as one of Korea’s leading charity running events involving both businesses and citizens.
The donations generated through the event are used not only for the Give ’N Dream program but also to improve care for children and adolescents.
The 1 billion won raised from last year’s Give ’N Race was donated in equal parts to the cities of Busan and Incheon to fund the establishment of new child protection centers. From the fund, two new specialized institutions opened this year, allowing abused children to receive systematic care and support through professional counseling and treatment at the facilities.
"Through this virtuous cycle created together with citizens and local communities, Mercedes-Benz’s social contribution committee continues to create opportunities for more young people to take their first steps toward realizing their dreams," the company said in a press release.