On Friday June 23 some of the team members from the FUTURA Group headquarters in Verbania joined in the “Sip on the Run” race that takes place in Suna. The race is organized every year to raise funds for charity.
The unusual thing about this event, which also goes under the name of the “Summer Carnival”, is that people participate in groups and dress up in costumes: some of the themes included the Scarecrow, the Smurfs, Barbapapa, and various impersonations of famous people like Elvis Presley and many others.
The FUTURA Group team dressed up as Tetris, the classic video game where the game checkers are coloured squares (tetramines), which must be positioned in the correct place with respect to each other whilst falling. Manuela Lavarone, from the FUTURA Human Resources Office, explains: “We chose this particular disguise because it really gives the idea of how important it is to collaborate in order to build something beautiful together. Just like in the work environment, where each person contributes to the success of each project, in the Tetris video game every piece and each interaction are essential to complete the game and win. A real team building activity with the additional pleasure of doing so for a charitable initiative”.
The real team building activity began with the design and realization of the costumes: the first step was the drafting of a simple project, with the definition of sizes and materials (primarily cardboard and adhesive tape). During the construction stage the cardboard had to be reinforced to make the tetramines more rigid otherwise it would not have stood up to the stresses and strains of the race. Someone came up with the idea of using bamboo rods, which proved to be a great choice. “Some people were involved in cutting, some coloured and others tried on the costumes whist some coordinated. We laughed a lot and together found a way to solve small problems using simple, cheap and easy-to find materials”, continues Manuela, “The race was fun, with these bulky and colourful costumes, with only our faces peeking out and with very tightly laced shoes. We had to tie two knots since it would have been impossible to bend down to tie them: we would have had to take everything off. We hope that the numerous on-lookers enjoyed the entertainment too”.
The race was a success thanks to the many participants and large crowds of spectators. There were more than 500 runners and the event raised 2,000 euros, which was donated to “Azzurra Baskin VCO” and ” Alzheimer Family Care ” this year. Given the enthusiasm and a very close knit team open to anyone in the Group who wants to join, we are already thinking about an idea for next year’s amazing costume.
