Following two successful projects which saw Thales fund the Work and Study section of askTheSite, the Thales Charity Committee has kindly agreed to support YouthNet by donating a further £10,000 over two years to fund YouthNet’s online service, TheSite.org.
Engaging Thales employees in the partnership
In addition to financial support from the committee, in August 2010 six Thales employees from England, Scotland and France formed two teams and took up the challenge of competing in the London Triathlon, raising over £1,500 for YouthNet.
Francesco DaRe, Project Director at Thales, was one of the team leaders:
What motivated you to get involved in the 2010 London Triathlon?
Having seen the Triathlon link between Thales and YouthNet that was posted on our intranet site, I thought it was a good idea for a non-work related challenge that would help with teambuilding and at the same time to help with a very worthwhile cause.
Did you find it easy training and fundraising for the Triathlon?
The training was relatively easy but probably because we were all active people when we entered. It was a good motivator to do more exercise than normal which has helped to get us all fitter than we would have been without it! The fundraising has been a challenge to manage as all 6 participants were collecting from the same work related pool. You need to start early and keep momentum.
How would you describe the day?
The day itself was excellent, like nothing I’ve experienced before. It left me on a high for the whole weekend and I can see how people get addicted to it. It was an exciting and fun day with lots to see and do even after the competition had finished.
Why should someone else take part in an event for YouthNet?
First of all because it is an excellent cause but also, all people from YouthNet were genuinely grateful for the involvement and support from Thales and added nice “touches” like providing free sports t-shirts to wear and “thank you” cards. It is a great day out and gives any group of people a common sense of achievement afterwards that helps with teamwork and relationships long after the event has finished.
If you or your company would like to take part in an event and raise money for YouthNet, please visit our Events Fundraising page.
