A sum of $5000 was donated to the charity after an inter-departmental competition to see which team could collectively walk the most number of laps of Sullair?s Dandenong head office building ? a distance of approximately 500m.
The competition was set up by the Wellness Committee of Sullair Australia, which encourages employees to become physically active as they raise money for a good cause.
In total, 5722 laps of the 500m circuit were walked, covering a distance of 2918km ? equivalent to the distance from Dandenong to Kalgoorlie in WA.
An average of 7.6 laps per person per week was achieved over the duration of the event, with R&D manager John Dewar setting the standard with a staggering total of 951 laps ? equal to 485km.
According to Sullair?s national sales manager Michael Knowles, the competition was formatted so the winning team could choose the charity of their choice.
?The sales and marketing team chose Alzheimer?s Victoria as its favoured charity. Some of our team members have had family and friends affected by this disease,? Knowles said.
?It was decided that the funds should go to the research arm of the organisation, Alzheimer?s Australia Dementia Research Foundation (AARDF), so that the money would be used for research into the condition and development of improved treatments for sufferers.?
With Australia experiencing an ageing population, there is a high probability that Alzheimer?s and dementia will become an increasing problem over the coming years unless a cure can be found. Currently 280,000 people live with dementia in Australia, and it is estimated that by 2050, this number will have grown to almost one million.
The funds will continue to help AADRF promote research into all aspects of dementia, including better understanding of the causes and the disease processes, and accurate and timely diagnosis. It will also help prevent or delay the onset of dementia, aid the development of new treatments and interventions, and find the best way of caring for people with dementia and their families.
Source: Sullair Australia