The director of a Melbourne-based boutique brokerage is set to tackle a 21km run to raise funds for motor neuron disease (MND).
Belinda Gibson of Thomas Magdalene Finance Group (TMFG) has raised more than $1,600 so far, committing to the Run Melbourne Half Marathon on 30 July.
The decision is part of the firm’s ongoing social prosperity campaign where $150 per settlement is donated to four different charities each year, she told
Australian Broker. These are picked for their meaningful value to both clients and staff.
“This year, it’s OZ Harvest, the Bourke Street Fund, Motor Neuron Disease, and Bowel Cancer Australia. We split our donations for our monthly settlements between those four charities.”
As MND is a sponsor of Run Melbourne, Gibson chose to apply as a champion runner. After being accepted, she was asked to raise $1,000 in four weeks – which she handled with ease, bringing in more than $1,600 at the time of writing.
“It’s actually overwhelming. I emailed some select customers and referrers and asked them to sponsor me. The actual outcome in a week has been incredible.”
Gibson is also running for her step-mother who currently has MND and hopes that the money raised will help researchers combat the disease.
“When I got appointed for the run, she rang me up and was very teary on the phone. She was quite worried about the distance. I just had to say ‘Don’t worry about it. I can do that with my eyes closed’.”
While she is a regular runner, this will be her first half marathon, although she is also now in training for the Melbourne Marathon in October this year.
“I’m getting a little bit nervous about it because there are so many people backing me now and challenging me to do a PB. That would be an hour and fifty minutes. I’m at an hour and 55 minutes at the moment.”
Others in the TMFG team are also putting their best foot forward for a charitable cause with loan writer Evelyn Clark signing up for Conner’s Run in September to raise funds for paediatric brain cancer.
Gibson has more than 15 years of experience in commercial banking and helped found TMFG.
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