I usually blog about music related topics, however I wanted to write about a different part of my life that I am equally as passionate about. As a part time job I work for Red Bull under their Marketing department. Working within this company has been an amazing experience for so many reasons, but what stands out the most is the attention to the community and giving back when the company finds appropriate causes. The most recent example of this was the creation of the foundation Wings for Life which fund spinal cord injury research. This foundation was created by the founder of Red Bull, Dietrich Mateschitz, and a close friend of his Heinz Kinigadner. After Kinigadner’s son suffered a serious accident that lead to spinal cord injury they two gentlemen reached out to some of the best scientist to begin researching cures.
Wings for Life itself is the name of the event that is being held worldwide on May 4. It is a race that will take place in 34 countries across the globe, at the exact same time. In Sunrise, Florida the race will start at 6a.m. and across the globe in France it begins at noon. The last day of registration is April 20th and the cost to join is $50. This race is like no other because the runners are not racing to the finish line, the finish line is chasing the runners. Let me explain; once the race begins there is a 3 mile grace period. After that time has passed a chaser car with start driving at a low speed following the runners, with each marker the chaser car will increase speed making the race more competitive. Once the chaser car catches a runner they are disqualified from the race. Once every runner but one has been eliminated across the entire world, that runner will be the world wide winner of this race.
Source: Red Bull
This foundation is a prime example of not only the quality of the Red Bull brand, but the character of the man who founded it. During these rough economic times I am inspired to work for a company that used the money, power, and connections to create such an original event to support this cause. I encourage everyone who reads this to become apart of something bigger then yourself and sign up for this event!