iCore's Christmas gift 2023 – We support Team Rynkeby!
iCore continues the tradition of donating money to charitable initiatives instead of buying traditional Christmas gifts. Every Christmas, the company supports various charitable causes, and in recent years, the donations have gone to the Swedish Childhood Cancer Fund (Barncancerfonden), a choice made by the employees.
This year, iCore supports Team Rynkeby, a fundraising initiative that aids children with critical illnesses, with all proceeds going to the Swedish Childhood Cancer Fund and the Children's Brain Foundation (Barnhjärnfonden).
– We usually ask our employees which organization they would prefer the company to support, and many feel strongly about the Swedish Childhood Cancer Fund. Doing this through Team Rynkeby gives us a unique opportunity to be part of a broader effort and simultaneously support two important funds, says Mikael Boquist, CEO of iCore.
Team Rynkeby is a European charity cycling team that rides to Paris every year to raise money for critically ill children and their families. Krister Lann, who works as a Global ERP System Manager at Babybjörn, one of iCore's clients, is involved in the project this year and asked if iCore would consider becoming a sponsor.
– It feels fantastic that iCore wants to come in as a silver sponsor, I am grateful that they chose to support this important project, says Krister Lann.
Children's cancer research has come a long way, and today, 80 percent of children who are affected by cancer can be saved. However, the disease is still the leading cause of disease-related deaths among children aged 1 to 15 years.
The money collected through Team Rynkeby is also earmarked for research grants on mental health in children and adolescents and brain-related disabilities.
– We put a great focus on raising as much money as possible. Both through sponsors and through the sale of gift certificates, stuffed animals, and other activities, says Krister Lann.
In addition to spending a lot of time raising money, which is done throughout the fundraising year, participants in Team Rynkeby need to spend a lot of time training. When the fundraising year comes to an end, in July 2024, the entire team will cycle to Paris, about 200 kilometers per day for seven days. The cycling is a way to create additional attention for the purpose of the collection.
– We are proud to support this fantastic initiative and look forward to following Krister and Team Rynkeby during the fundraising year, says Mikael Boquist.
About Team Rynkeby
Team Rynkeby supports children with critical illnesses. The initiative was founded in 2002 when 11 amateur cyclists connected to the Danish juice producer Rynkeby Foods A/S decided to cycle to Paris to watch the end of the Tour de France. Rynkeby Foods was the main sponsor of the trip. The participants in the very first Team Rynkeby managed to acquire sponsorship so effectively that they ended up with a profit of 53,900 SEK when the team returned to Denmark a little over a week later. The money was donated by Team Rynkeby to the children's cancer ward at Odense University Hospital, and a tradition was born.
Last year, Team Rynkeby consisted of 2,026 amateur cyclists and 538 service participants spread across 62 local teams in nine countries. All participants in Team Rynkeby cover their own expenses for bicycles, cycling clothes, helmets, and hotels. In Sweden, Team Rynkeby supports two causes: the Swedish Childhood Cancer Fund and the Children's Brain Foundation.
In the fundraising year 22/23, the Swedish teams collected over 28 million SEK.
