HUF 3.5 Million Donation by Budapest Airport

Budapest Airport handed over nearly 3.5 million HUF to the SUHANJ! Foundation, which supports sporting activities by people living with disabilities. The donation was collected from entry fees for the Runway Run airport charity running race, organized for the eighth time this year.

Budapest Airport says it is a priority for the company to stand up for noble causes, even during the coronavirus pandemic. The charity running race Runway Run was held for the eighth time at the beginning of September, with nearly 600 runners lining up (in compliance with effective health regulations) on the closed runway I at the airport. The airport operator’s representatives handed over HUF 3,411,655 , collected in entry fees, to the SUHANJ! Foundation.

The cooperation between the SUHANJ! Foundation and Budapest Airport has been running for many years. The foundation spends the annual donation from the entry fees of the Runway Run on developing the integrated gym, the SUHANJ! Fitness that it operates in Budapest, where able-bodied and disabled athletes can work out together. The SUHANJ! Fitness, established as a result of community cooperation, is the first fully accessible gym in Hungary, which has seen demand for its services rising continuously since its opening – thus, SUHANJ! Foundation is working on the establishment of a nationwide SUHANJ! network. With the donation, Budapest Airport not only wishes to support the development of the integrative gym, but also, thereby, seeks to improve the quality of life for mentally or physically disabled and visually impaired people.

During the handover of the symbolic check, Kam Jandu, Chief Commercial Official stated that “we believe that together we are stronger, and in these difficult times, it is more important than ever for people to unite and work together. The Runway Run is a very important event for us every year, not only because it is an excellent occasion to experience the joy of physical exercise together, but also because we can support the operation of the integrated SUHANJ! Fitness from the entry fees. We are proud that this year we once again had the opportunity to support the foundation through such a significant event embodying unity and cooperation.”

“Through the years, the Runway Run races became a celebration of equality in the life of the SUHANJ! team,” co-founder and head of SUHANJ! Foundation, Péter Gusztos said. “This is the only running event in Hungary where our athletes with disabilities can fully experience what accessibility means. There are no potholes, no curbs or sharp turns on the course, only the freedom of movement. Our cooperation with the Budapest Airport provides a lot of room for progress, not only to the athletes individually, but also to our entire organization, because our foundation can always use the proceeds of the event and the donations of the company for the most important developments. This was the case at the beginning of our cooperation, when 6 years ago, Budapest Airport appeared as main sponsor for the opening of Hungary's first accessible gym, the SUHANJ! Fitness. And even now, they provided a significant donation to help us expand our activities and establish a nationwide SUHANJ! network,” he added

The invitational race was attended by runners from the world of aviation, teams from various large companies and athletes from the SUHANJ! Foundation. Budapest Airport donated the other half of the entry fees to the British charity Anthony Nolan, which supports treatment for children with blood cancer.