Charities

FIT For Charity is dedicated to supporting non-profit community organisations serving important, but not necessarily well-recognised needs, with limited fundraising capabilities. Supported charities that represent this principle are chosen from organisations in the greater Tokyo area. Funds are divided equally among them. In 2008, ten community organisations received proceeds from the FIT for Charity 2008 event. As a non-standing organisation, FIT prefers to support community organisations on a one-year basis. By doing so, FIT can vary the organisations to which it can offer support, thereby increasing the chances for a wider range of causes to receive funding help.

Because all members of the FIT For Charity Organising Committee are themselves unpaid volunteers, and because almost all of the elements needed to stage the FIT event are donated by companies and their employees, the community organisations supported by FIT receive 100% of all donations and participation fees, and over 90% of the total funds collected (93.4% in 2008).

For this year, six* non-profit community organisations have been selected to share equally in the proceeds of the 2009 run.

Florence

Operates a community-based day care center for sick children, thereby helping to create a society where parents can work and raise children simultaneously.

Japan Hearing Dogs for Deaf People

Trains hearing dogs and service dogs to facilitate, at zero charge, the deaf and the physically disabled to participate in society. Chooses training dogs out of abandoned dogs or dogs without owners.

Kibo-no-Ie

Provides a home for children who have no parents or who do not have a safe place to live, due to abuse or other reasons. Supports these children to become self-reliant

Nonohana-no-Ie

Operates an orphanage/childcare centre, which hosts a total of 46 local and foreign children. The home needs to install air-conditioners in some rooms, which currently do not have any, and to set up an additional kitchen as well.

Place Tokyo

Aims to foster a community environment for people living with HIV/AIDS by providing direct support, educational activities on prevention, research and training.

The Tyler Foundation for Childhood Cancer

Supports Japanese children with cancer and their families. Innovative programs empower through education, counseling, activities and sibling support (in hospital and at our Shine On! House), and promote medical excellence.

*Of the seven organisations originally selected, one organisation has voluntarily withdrawn from FIT For Charity Run 2009