Walk the talk - change a life

Apart from encouraging people to lead a healthy lifestyle, the Discovery 702 Walk the Talk changes the lives of many others through numerous fundraising initiatives.

The official beneficiary of the Discovery 702 Walk the Talk is the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. This global initiative enlists the help of sports legends to promote sport as a vehicle for change in communities.

Each year, the Laureus Foundation enlists a number of their local ambassadors to show their support at the Walk the Talk – Lucas Radebe and Baby Jake Matlala are regulars at the event. Furthermore, Laureus always sends one of their international ambassadors to the event.

This year walkers will be joined by Nawal El Moutawakel, the Morrocan hurdler who became the first Muslim-born female in Africa to become an Olympic champion.

Laureus South Africa identifies a specific project to benefit from the Walk the Talk and in the past they have committed to a long term, three-year support programme through this event.

The first sporting project to receive funding from the Discovery 702 Walk the Talk was Fight with Insight, which uses boxing as a way for troubled teens to channel their energy in positive ways.

The Johannesburg Cubs project has been running for three years and selects the most promising cricketers from underprivileged backgrounds to form a team that plays in the Gauteng cricket league.

Through the Cubs, these talented youngsters get to play against some of the top cricketing schools in the country and a number of the players have been given scholarships to these top schools.

In addition to the regular cricket coaching the Johannesburg Cubs receive, they are also taught life skills and gain valuable experience through initiatives such as interprovincial cricket tours.

Since receiving funding from the Laureus Foundation, thanks to last year’s Discovery 702 Walk the Talk, the Cubs have managed to grow from one to three teams, who are fed, transported and kitted out with the funding.

On 25 July, the budding cricketers from the Johannesburg Cubs will be walking with one of their icons, Laureus ambassador and former Proteas cricketer, Shaun Pollock.

In addition to the Cubs, the official charity of the event, Walk the Talk also provides a platform for many other worthwhile organisations to raise funds.

The group with the most entries this year is the Pink Drive, which raises funds and awareness for breast cancer. There are 300 entries for the Pink Drive and to help them do their great work, anyone can donate R5 by sending an sms with the word “Breast” to 36560.

Jody Foster, who heads up Sponsorship at Discovery, agrees that the Discovery 702 Walk the Talk, helps to change lives in many ways. “The Discovery 702 Walk the Talk gives us the opportunity to get involved with people in so many different ways.

Apart from giving us the opportunity to show the people from Joburg how easy and fun it is to get active and healthy, it also gives us the chance to help our communities with fundraising or simply by raising awareness around different causes.”

Other organisations who will be walking with large groups to raise funds and awareness are Alzheimer’s Gauteng, Africa for Haiti and Headway.