Marriott’s first-ever virtual charity run raises over IDR 800 million

Marriott International in Indonesia, alongside its 55 hotels in the archipelago, hosted the first Virtual Run To Give Indonesia for the whole month of October.

The charity event raised nearly IDR 850 million, which was donated to Marriott Associates who have been affected by the Corona virus - particularly the pandemic-led redundancies. In Bali, funds were also donated to to the Bali Children Foundation and their efforts nationwide.

Run to Give is actually a global Marriott International fundraising campaign, but in light of the pandemic all events were cancelled worldwide. Marriott International Indonesia were the only region to continue the campaign, facilitated by going 'virtual'.

The Virtual Run to Give asked runners to sign up and run in their own time, running in their neighbourhood, local park, yard, or even in the living room, whilst continuing to practice social distancing.

General managers of the hospitality group and associates from other hotels all engaged in the run, but the month-long cause also received overwhelming support from the general public.

Thanks to the incredible generosity of the runners, the event was able to support associates and underprivileged children with basic food and necessities. Parts of the proceeds also funded projects by the Foundation to improve education for Balinese children.

Marie Browne, General Manager of Sheraton Bali Kuta Resort and Chairwoman of Virtual Run To Give 2020, expressed her gratitude to organisers and participants and their tremendous efforts that led to such a successful event. Not only did it raise funds but also awareness for hotel staff that are in vulnerable positions due to the pandemic, as well as children in need.

The virtual run also successfully adhered to social-distancing measures to safeguard the wellbeing of participants.