“Pass It On” initiative to engage clients, colleagues and communities as Manchester United football travels from Cape to Cairo
Aon South Africa will kick off on an eight month-long Cape to Cairo journey on 24 October 2011 in Cape Town, where Aon staff members will set off to 19 Africa offices with an official Manchester United Football. Four vehicles will travel from Cape to Cairo, two along a 5315km Western route and two vehicles travelling on a 4030km Eastern route as part of the “Pass it on” initiative designed to engage colleagues, clients and communities in an epic soccer journey.
The Cape to Cairo route is one of three in an eight-month program beginning on October 24 in three “start cities:” Hobart, Australia; Cape Town, South Africa; and Punta Arenas, Chile. Three regional route teams from Aon—Asia Pacific, EMEA, and the Americas—will compete for points as they pass Manchester United footballs along three transcontinental routes covering a total of approximately 180,000 kilometers, nearly four-and-a-half times the Earth’s circumference. The footballs will stop at Aon offices and other points of interest around the world and meet up in London in June 2012, where they will be auctioned off for charity at Aon’s 25th Anniversary Gala Celebration at Lloyd’s of London.
“Pass It On” will officially launch on 23 October at Old Trafford at half time of the darby between Manchester United and Manchester City. Manchester United Legends Denis Irwin, Bryan Robson and Gary Pallister will be on hand to support the launch. Aon is the principal partner and global shirt sponsor of Manchester United.
Anton Roux, Chairman and CEO of Aon South Africa adds: “’Pass It On’ is designed to touch the lives of three very important stakeholders in Aon - firstly our clients get to experience the true capacity of what Aon can do for their personal and business insurance and risk mitigation, and be part of an initiative that is about enabling economic and human possibility everywhere. Our colleagues get to be part of a collaborative journey that serves as a unifying, engaging, and educational tool for colleagues and be actively involved in what is happening and finally, our local communities are the cornerstone of empowering human and economic possibility, and we want Pass It On to involve and support them,” explains Anton.
As part of the interactive, online competition, colleagues in each Aon office will earn points and prizes for their team by submitting photos, videos and stories covering various aspects of Aon, including client success stories, colleague profiles and stories on local community service initiatives.
As the balls pass through each office, Aon colleagues around the world will celebrate Aon’s commitment to local communities by organising various charitable activities and client events.
This year’s South African campaign will grow on the charity initiative by including local soccer coaches and children in a skills and drills programme with the official Manchester United Soccer School (MUSS). “During November 2011, ‘Skills and Drills’ coaching clinics will be arranged in Gauteng for nominated soccer coaches by the official MUSS, ensuring that the training and skills imparted can be taken back and implemented at the schools by the coaches.
“In addition, three MUSS coaches will take groups of 48 children from historically disadvantaged backgrounds on a once in a lifetime journey of what it means to be a top, professional footballer. Over the three days, the coaches spend the time with the children showing them amongst other things soccer skills, healthy food choices, healthy mind choices and the right attitude, videos and clips, the dynamics of teamwork and so on. In addition, the coaches will talk to parents about how to motivate their child, the benefits of sport and how they can help their children develop into confident and capable young adults.
“The skills and drills workshops are so much more than soccer skills. This is really about developing young leaders who are equipped to make healthy choices for their lives. It’s about having positive role models who coach them through everything from nutrition to attitude – it’s not just about being a successful sportsperson, but also about being a better human being with goals and objectives for their life, their community and their career,” says Anton.
Aon has always taken seriously its community responsibilities. “Our mantra is that we give back to those communities in which we do business, and considering we do business in more than 120 countries, this leaves us a wide scope for charitable work. In partnering with Manchester United, we have the opportunity to work with a club that shares our values in this regard. There is no other sport that teaches young people the principles of teamwork and striving for excellence as much as football, and there is no other sports organisation in the world that teaches these values as well as Manchester United,” concludes Anton.
Pass It On is the second phase in Aon’s global employee engagement program designed to engage the firm’s colleagues, families and communities. Last year, Aon’s inaugural Follow the Football initiative focused on the launch of its four-year global sponsorship with Manchester United, the number one brand in the world’s number one sport.
Nine official Manchester United footballs visited 50 Aon offices in 28 countries around the world and traveled 154,000 kilometers in nine months. One Aon colleague from each office who best embodied the traits in Aon’s Leadership Model was selected to sign the football in their office. Aon also hosted more than 70 global townhall meetings since engaging in the partnership, and held its first annual Aon United REDy day in June 2010, where Aon colleagues around the world participated in fundraising events for over 200 unique charity partners.
To follow the Pass It On competition or learn more about the program, visit http://www.aonpassiton.com/
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