A different kind of commitment for Imagine

My son is treated at Imagine by Professor Arnold Munnich. As the parent of a child affected by a genetic disease, I am very familiar with the Imagine Institute and the expertise and human support provided by the doctors and researchers who work there. As a member and donor for several years of an association for patients affected by the same disease as my son, I had not yet taken the step of supporting the Imagine Institute.

It was after a meeting with the Institute's management for a fundraising campaign that I got the idea. That day, I was very sensitive to Imagine's mission and I wanted to get involved in this inspiring ambition carried by the Institute, which is to change the lives of families affected by a genetic disease.

I am the director of an IT services company that employs about 100 people, and I have long wanted to get my company and my employees involved in an extra-professional cause that is close to my heart and that would make sense for everyone. I therefore chose to raise awareness among my employees about research into genetic diseases, and to unite them around Imagine, which I consider to be the reference institute in this field.

So, in June 2019, I suggested that they take part in the Race for Heroes. This is a solidarity race, where the company encourages its employees to run for a good cause. I decided that for each participant, our company would make a donation of 100€. I managed to mobilize 11 people around me. Even some of my clients came!

We did some training beforehand, which greatly contributed to strengthening the team spirit and interpersonal bonds. It's incredible the energy that it put in the company, everyone was very proud to be committed to sick children. We discovered each other in a more relaxed context, it was really a good time for everyone. So good that we are doing it again this year, trying to get even more people involved. I highly recommend other companies to live this very rich experience!