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Hand in hand, dressed in pink, a schoolgirl and her mother set off down Adrien Questel Street. They are quickly overtaken by a horde of children who, with smiles on their faces, run with all their might as the adults cheer them on. Whether striding or jogging, 370 students take turns in small groups to run laps around the block. But it’s not just for the fun of getting some exercise. On Monday, October 12, students from the Gustavia school complex laced up their sneakers to participate in the “Tous pour Ela” charity run. This annual event is designed to support the European Leukodystrophy Association (ELA), an umbrella term for about a hundred rare genetic diseases that damage the nervous system.
“This charity run has been organized for years,” notes the school’s principal, Agnès Combin. “All the children at the school participate, as do the parents,” she emphasizes. Not to mention the teachers and school staff, who are all fully involved. The goal of the race is to raise funds for Ela. “We receive donations based on the number of laps the children complete,” explains Agnès Combin. “They have sponsors—who might be a dad, mom, grandpa, or grandma—and the sponsors specify the donation they’ll make for each lap completed. It could be 1 euro, 5 euros, 10 euros… Sometimes, at the end, the sponsors give much more than what’s written on the little card.” And many enthusiastically participate in the race alongside the children. That is, when they aren’t running three to five meters behind their little ones when the kids are giving it their all!
“Contributing to a Good Cause”
Mélissa has two children attending school in Gustavia. A daughter in first grade and a son in fourth grade: “Like every year, we’re here as usual,” smiles the mom. “It’s always a pleasure to contribute to a good cause and encourage the children to do the same. It’s all done in good spirits.” And with plenty of energy, because you have to be able to keep up with the schoolkids. “My kids are athletic, so we’re a bit out of shape,” Melissa jokes. “But that’s okay—we love them anyway! I ran with my little one, but as for my older son in fourth grade, I might just have to settle for cheering him on!”
Elisa is also the mother of two children. One is in kindergarten, the other in first grade. More level-headed than Mélissa, she’s chosen to take on a different role. “I’m at the starting line, cheering them on—it’s important,” she says mischievously. “My kids ran four laps. That’s great. I don’t think I could have done that!”
In the playground, while the future runners warm up to the teachers’ instructions, the kids who’ve finished their race cool off and recharge by eating fruit cut up by parents. Amid the cheerful atmosphere—and despite their exertions—they display the same energy they had shown just a few minutes earlier during the race.
ELA, since 1992
The European Leukodystrophy Association (ELA) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1992. It has been recognized as a public benefit organization since 1996. It brings together families who join forces to defeat leukodystrophies, rare genetic diseases that destroy myelin (the sheath surrounding nerves) in the central nervous system. ELA’s initiatives have supported 601 research programs since 1992. 51.9 million euros have been invested in research since the association’s founding, and 17.9 million have been allocated to supporting families.
(Source: ela-asso.com)
