Visits the new Laureus Pavilion at the Magic Bus Centre- Interactive session with the BPT community children
- ‘The incredible work done by Magic Bus is realising the Laureus vision of using sports for good on a daily basis. We are proud to partner with them.’- says Steve Waugh
MUMBAI, July 21, 2014 – Legendary cricket star and Laureus Academy member, Steve Waugh was in Mumbai today to visit the Magic Bus project– a strategic partner of the Laureus Sports for Good Foundation.
Magic Bus, an Indian NGO working with underprivileged children to make sure they move out of poverty. Magic Bus has received funding from Laureus since its inauguration and has been a strategic partner of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation for five years. Magic Bus currently operates in 19 states around India impacting over 250,000 young people with the ambition of reaching 1 million participants by 2017.
The great success achieved by Magic Bus has been recognised at the last 2014 Laureus World Sports Awards with the presentation of the Laureus Sport for Good Award.
Steve Waugh along with Magic Bus founder Matthew Spacie unveiled the Laureus Pavillion at the Magic Bus Centre for Learning and Development located in Village Aasrewadi near Karjat.
This was followed by a visit to the Bombay Port Trust (BPT) community project where Steve Waugh met and interacted with the students and members of the local community.
Speaking on the occasion, Steve Waugh said, “As a representative of the Laureus Academy, it gives me a great sense of pride to be associated with Magic Bus. The work they are doing for young children is actually realising our vision of using sports to lead change and enhance their quality of life. I am humbled by visiting the project sites and would like to offer my heartiest congratulations to Mathew and his team for doing such a great job.”
Matthew Spacie, Founder of Magic Bus added, “Magic Bus’ work has grown to 18 States of India in the last fifteen years, covering 250,000 children and 8000 young people from marginalised communities. This would not have bene possible without supporters like Laureus and we want to thank Laureus and Steve for this strong support.”
Magic Bus, founded by Englishman Matthew Spacie and based in Mumbai, aims to take children out of poverty through a programme of mentoring and coaching. Since 2001, the Magic Bus programme has grown to embrace over 250,000 children in 18 states each week and Spacie’s ambition now is to reach out to one million children by 2017.
About the Laureus Pavilion
The Laureus Pavilion is a covered activity area that Magic Bus has built inside its 25-acre learning center campus. The center itself is an outdoor learning and development space that provides facilitated experiences in a wide variety of activities ranging from rope climbing to cycling and much more.
“The Pavilion helps Magic Bus deliver activities during the Summer and Monsoon seasons, enabling participants to continue accessing sports activities.” says Rob Thomas, Head of the centre. “It can accommodate people of different ages and abilities and provides the perfect living space for group activities.”
The Laureus Pavilion was built by premier architectural firm Architect Brio, who describe the Pavilion as “…Partly a building, partly a challenge course, the Laureus sponsored Learning Pavilion, located at the Magic Bus Centre for Experiential Learning, is an interactive building used as a gathering space and play area for underprivileged children while they are on their weekend camps.”
About the BPT Community
Magic Bus has also been the longest running NGO working with the BPT community since 2003. They are primarily running sports sessions here for the underprivileged children from the local schools. Their voluntary activities have improved health awareness, increased participation from girls and increased attendance at school among other impact led results.
Laureus is a universal movement that celebrates the power of sport to bring people together as a force for good. Laureus is composed of three core elements – the Laureus World Sports Academy, the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation and the Laureus World Sports Awards – which collectively celebrate sporting excellence and use sport as the means to promote social change.
The first Patron of Laureus was Nelson Mandela. At the inaugural Laureus World Sports Awards in 2000, he said: “Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair.” This has become the philosophy of Laureus; the driving force behind its work.
The members of the Laureus World Sports Academy are: Giacomo Agostini, Marcus Allen, Franz Beckenbauer, Boris Becker, Ian Botham, Sergey Bubka, Bobby Charlton, Sebastian Coe, Nadia Comaneci, Yaping Deng, Marcel Desailly, Kapil Dev, Mick Doohan, David Douillet, Rahul Dravid, Emerson Fittipaldi, Sean Fitzpatrick, Dawn Fraser, Cathy Freeman, Tanni Grey-Thompson, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Mika Häkkinen, Tony Hawk, Mike Horn, Miguel Indurain, Michael Johnson, Kip Keino, Franz Klammer, Dan Marino, Edwin Moses (Chairman), Nawal El Moutawakel, Robby Naish, Ilie Nastase, Martina Navratilova, Alexey Nemov, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Morné du Plessis, Hugo Porta, Steve Redgrave, Vivian Richards, Monica Seles, Mark Spitz, Daley Thompson, Alberto Tomba, Steve Waugh and Katarina Witt.
The Laureus Academy Members volunteer their services as global ambassadors for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, which was set up to promote the use of sport as a tool for social change. The Foundation addresses social challenges through a worldwide programme of sports related community development initiatives. Since its inception, Laureus has raised over €60 million for projects which have helped to improve the lives of millions of young people. The mission of the Laureus Foundation is to use sport as the means to combat some of the world’s toughest social challenges facing young people today such as juvenile crime, gangs, HIV/AIDS, discrimination, social exclusion, landmines awareness and health problems like obesity.
The Laureus World Sports Awards is the premier global sports awards honouring the greatest sportsmen and women across all sports each year. The winners are selected by the ultimate sports jury – the 47 members of the Laureus World Sports Academy, the living legends of sport honouring the great athletes of today. The Awards are presented at an annual Awards Ceremony, attended by global figures from sport and entertainment, which is broadcast to 120 countries and territories.
Proceeds from the Laureus World Sports Awards directly benefit and underpin the work of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation which supports over 150 community sports projects around the world. The 2014 Laureus World Sports Awards were held in Kuala Lumpur on March 26.
Laureus was founded by its Patrons Richemont and Daimler and is supported by its Global Partners Mercedes-Benz and IWC Schaffhausen.
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is the inventor of the automobile – and has been passionately shaping its future since 1886. As pioneers in automotive engineering, it is both our inspiration and responsibility to continue the tradition of the brand with trailblazing technologies and high-quality products. Like no other trademark in the automotive world, Mercedes-Benz appeals to both the hearts and minds of its customers. We give our very best for customers who expect the very best. Since the founding fathers Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Benz, our corporate history has been one of innovation and pioneering achievements. Many technical innovations that are nowadays standard in automobiles first entered the market in a Mercedes-Benz. This is the basis for our claim to leadership in automotive engineering. The brand stands for Modern Luxury, and enjoys an outstanding reputation for quality, safety, comfort, design and comprehensive, sustainable mobility.
IWC Schaffhausen
With a clear focus on technology and development, the Swiss watch manufacturer IWC Schaffhausen has been producing timepieces of lasting value since 1868. The company has gained an international reputation based on a passion for innovative solutions and technical ingenuity. One of the world’s leading brands in the luxury watch segment, IWC crafts masterpieces of haute horlogerie at their finest, combining supreme precision with exclusive design. As an ecologically and socially responsible company, IWC is committed to sustainable production, supports institutions around the globe in their work with children and young people and maintains partnerships with organisations dedicated to climate and environmental protection.