Karma Group raises over £10,000 for Christel House
International travel and lifestyle brand Karma Group has raised more than £10,000 for children’s charity Christel House through its second Penguin Walk.
The 2016 Karma Penguin Walk continues the Group’s commitment to corporate social responsibility – with a dash of Karma joie de vivre – and saw 15 intrepid and committed penguins take part in a 30-kilometre hike through hills, fields, forests and beaches near the coast of St.Tropez in France.
The trek was led by the Emperor Penguin himself, John Spence, Karma Group founder and chairman, whose vision was for the walk to be a fun, challenging and purpose-filled adventure, fully embracing the mission of improving the lives of the disadvantaged, especially in communities around the world where Karma Group operates.
Helping others
“I take enormous personal satisfaction from these opportunities to help others,” he said. “Embarking on the 2016 Karma Penguin Walk in the company of a wonderful group of high-achieving, socially responsible and like-minded individuals, I felt extremely privileged to have the chance to directly chart a new course for a group of young students on the College and Careers scholarship programme run by Christel House in India.
“Through my work, I regularly encounter disadvantaged communities facing enormous challenges and projects such as the Karma Penguin Walk give us the opportunity to raise awareness, as well as contribute valuable funds to directly help alleviate some of the pressures faced by these young people.”
Intrepid hikers celebrate at the end of the Penguin Walk
The Penguin Walk began at 5:30am at Le Preverger, Karma Estates’ legendary chateau, with the waddling adventurers criss-crossing the French countryside with great purpose and determination. Eight-year-old Columbus Spence showed the true Karma spirit by cheerfully completing the entire course with steadfastness reminiscent of a young Marco Polo and Christel House was represented by Ann Gilchrist, who will take over as the charity’s European development director from the retiring Vivienne Noyes-Thomas at the end of the year.
Christel House is a non-governmental organization (NGO) based in Bangalore, India, and helps children and youth from underprivileged backgrounds overcome the cycle of poverty through education. In 2011, it established its College and Careers program, with scholarships provided for students to pursue university or college professional degrees in order to be fully employed upon graduation.
Charity foundation
Through its charity foundation Karma Camino, Karma Group has sponsored the construction and initial establishment of a school library at Christel House, including stocking its shelves with children’s books, and also provides all the meals for more than 900 children – to date, it has provided and paid for in excess of 4.5 million meals.
The Karma Camino foundation also organises an annual ‘Camp Royal’ excursion in which children from Christel House are invited to stay for a few days’ holiday at Karma Group’s resorts in Goa and entertained by resort staff volunteers – a treat that most of these children, who have never known what it is like to go on vacation, get to experience for the first time.
In addition, Karma Group has raised over a million US dollars over the past two years for various charities, through the auctioning off of villa and hotel accommodation.
