Moving Together: 1,749 kilometres for children and adolescents with cancer

Over the course of 21 days, our mascot Spogli visited all nine paediatric cancer centres in Switzerland. This journey was made possible thanks to nearly 500 people who got active and logged their minutes of physical activity or supported the campaign with a donation. The minutes of physical activity and donations collected were converted into distance, allowing Spogli to cover an incredible 1,749 kilometres in total.

Thanks to the high level of participation, Spogli reached the original target after just two weeks. However, our mascot didn’t want to rest on his laurels for long and, to mark Childhood Cancer Awareness Month in September, set off on a golden bonus round. Whether exercising in their free time, cycling to work or walking through the city, every minute helped Spogli go further. Together, we logged almost 350,000 minutes of physical activity.

An exciting Ambassador Battle

One of the most wonderful aspects of the campaign was the diversity of the people who took part. Alongside many individuals, schools, clubs, companies, families and groups of friends joined forces to collect minutes of physical activity. More than 60 teams were formed, all helping Spogli on his journey. Furthermore, a large proportion of the minutes of physical activity came directly from our nine member clinics. Countless individual activities thus grew into a nationwide movement and a powerful show of solidarity with children and adolescents with cancer.

The battle between our two ambassadors, Jann Billeter and Marc Berthod, also added an extra element of excitement throughout the campaign. In the end, Team Billeter came out on top with 311,025 metres, ahead of Team Berthod with 248,300 metres. A huge thank you goes to both ambassadors and to everyone who supported their teams and helped Spogli go even further.

However, the campaign was about more than just the kilometres covered. Many people came together at events in Basel, St Gallen and Bellinzona: in Basel in partnership with the Foundation for Children with Cancer, Regio Basiliensis, in St Gallen with the support of the My-Milo app, and in Bellinzona through dialogue with affected parents and local organisations.

The journey continues

The activity campaign may be over, but the journey continues. In childhood cancer research, too, every step forward is an important milestone, but never the end of the road. Research means continuing to learn, finding new approaches and constantly improving treatment options.

Through this activity campaign, we’ve come together to send a powerful message in support of this research. All donations raised go directly to SPOG’s paediatric cancer research. SPOG will continue to rely on your support so that children and adolescents with cancer can have a future.

Hello, I’m Spogli!

What a journey! Thanks to you, I was able to visit all nine paediatric cancer centres in Switzerland and travel much further than I ever imagined.

Thank you for every minute of physical activity, every donation, every team and every share. You kept me moving and, together, we’ve sent a powerful message of solidarity with children and adolescents with cancer.

A heartfelt thank you, and see you next time!