Special Charity Group

The following Special Group was set up for the Osaka Marathon charity program, with five committee members appointed, including experts in each area. Discussions were held on basic policy and the content of the charity work.

Title	Osaka Marathon Organizing Committee Special Charity Group
Committee member and Group Leader	Shinya Hashizume (Professor, Osaka Prefecture University)
Committee members	・Atsuo Sugimoto (Professor, Kansai University) ・Tatsuro Onoue (Director, Yomiuri Light and Humanity Association) ・Shinichiro Tokunaga (Senior Project Manager, Integrated Solutions Bureau, Dentsu) ・Kuninori Kubota (Executive Officer and Executive Division Manager, Yomiuri Shimbun Osaka Head Office)
Observer	Osaka Marathon Organizing Committee Secretariat
Secretariat	Yomiuri Shimbun Osaka Head Office

The results of the discussions within the Special Group were presented to the Organizing Committee where they were approved and decided.

The seven color charity themes

In relation to the event slogan: “Making a Rainbow Together,” the Committee decided the seven colors of the rainbow and charity themes as well as the donation recipients, and selected the donation recipients of choice to offered to entrants at the participation application stage.

Red
Theme	Reinvigorate and cultivate forests
Donation recipient	more trees
Specific project	Supporting forestry maintenance, including thinning, in Japan and overseas

Orange
Theme	Encourage disabled athletes
Donation recipient	・Japan Sports Association for the Disabled (JSAD) ・Special Olympics Nippon Secretariat
Specific project	Supporting the training of coaches and volunteers for sports for the disabled

Yellow
Theme	Encourage sick children and their families
Donation recipient	Support Network for Chronically Sick Children of Japan
Specific project	Providing picture books and other presents for children battling chronic illnesses at home or in hospitals

Green
Theme	Support activities to eradicate cancer
Donation recipient	Cancer Support Community (Japan Wellness)
Specific project	Cancer patients promoting awareness of health checks for the early detection of cancer

Light Blue
Theme	Spread activities to preserve and beautify landscapes
Donation recipient	Greenbird
Specific project	Activities to clean up the communities and beautify towns where we live

Navy
Theme	Sustain children’s physical and mental health
Donation recipient	Save the Children
Specific project	Supplying educational materials, etc., for children in developing countries in Asia

Purple
Theme	Aim for a world with clean drinking water
Donation recipient	Japan Association for UNHCR (United Nations High Commission for Refugees)
Specific project	Supplying life-giving water to refugees in Kenya

New charity theme

The Great East Japan Earthquake

On March 11, 2011, the magnitude 9 Great East Japan Earthquake, one of the most powerful on record, struck off the Sanriku coast of Miyage Prefecture, inflicting enormous damage on the Tohoku and Kanto regions. To assist the recovery support for the disaster areas, the Osaka Marathon Secretariat, which aims to contribute to society through sport, established a new charity color and theme to support Great East Japan Earthquake recovery efforts. This is separate from the seven themes of choice offered to participants and reflects the Secretariat’s commitment to support the recovery.

New “rainbow colors” charity theme

A free invitation to runners from the afflicted areas

The 682 runners from the disaster areas who entered and were successfully selected will not be required to pay the participation fee.

Theme	Come together as one for recovery
Donation recipient	Yomiuri Light and Humanity Association
Specific project	Extending hope to those afflicted by the Great East Japan Earthquake

Fundraising method

Donations from participants in the Osaka Marathon

Accepting that the Osaka Marathon is a charity marathon, a donation of ¥500 was charged along with the ¥10,000 participation fee at the participation application stage.

■Marathon: Domestic entrants ¥10,500, Overseas entrants ¥12,500
(¥500 is a charity contribution)
■Charity run: Domestic entrants ¥5,500, Overseas entrants ¥6,500
(¥500 is a charity contribution)

Donating through Just Giving Japan

The Osaka Marathon Special Charity Site was set up in collaboration with the NPO Just Giving Japan to enable individual runners to make their contributions through the Internet and participate in charity.

Charity collection boxes established

Osaka Marathon original charity collection boxes (eight themes) were placed at companies, organizations, schools, and other groups supporting the charity program.

Fundraising at the Osaka Marathon Expo

At the Osaka Marathon Expo, which ran from October 27 through 29, 2011 at Intex Osaka, the donation recipient organizations for the seven charity themes set up booths to introduce their activities and raise funds.

Cooperation of charity runners and charity supporters

Celebrities from around the world supported the charity program, appealed widely for cooperation with the charities, and helped build excitement around the marathon event.

Charity runners: The following kindly ran in the Osaka Marathon.

• Yoko Akino (Actress)
• Kenji Moriwaki (Entertainer)
• Yoko Shirakawa (Athlete, world junior 10,000 meters gold medalist)
• Keisuke Urufuru (Music artist)
• Tomoko Kojima (Former NFL cheerleader)
• Jun Hiratsuka (Athlete, General Director of Josai University Track Club)
• Yoko Matsuda (Singer-songwriter)
• Naoko Kawakama (Soccer commentator)

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Charity supporters: The following introduced the marathon in various ways and helped build up enthusiasm for it.

• Hiroaki Morishima (Cerezo Osaka ambassador)
• Mami Sato (Paralympic athlete)
• Yuko Arimori (NPO Special Olympics Nippon director)
• Kuniko Obinata (Winter Paralympic alpine ski gold medalist)
• Nobuharu Asahara (Beijing Olympics men’s 4 x 100m relay bronze medalist)

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Charity-Related Activities Report

Osaka Marathon Charity Symposium

This symposium was held on July 30, 2011 at the Osaka City Central Public Hall (in Osaka City’s Kita-ku). Olympic medalist Yuko Arimori and Osaka Prefecture University professor Shinya Hashizume were invited to discuss expectations surrounding large public marathons. The main themes were the significance of such events and contributing to society through participation in charity.

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Fundraising through Osaka Marathon Expo, etc.

Over the two days of October 28 and 29 before the marathon was run, the Osaka Marathon Expo was held at Intex Osaka, where the marathon finished. The donation recipient organizations with their various charity themes conducted fundraising and other charity activities.

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