The fifth jubilee Milky Way Race - the second year in a row in a virtual mode and for children with disabilities

Zagreb, 2 June 2021 – The jubilee fifth-in-a-row UNICEF Milky Way Run takes place this year with the aim of helping to establish and improve important services for children with disabilities and for their parents in Croatia. The race will take place virtually again this year, and will thus be fully inclusive and will run at the national level. Adults and children of all ages, families, recreational and professional athletes will collect kilometres of opportunities for girls and boys with disabilities, through an app, on thousands of paths throughout Croatia in the course of 10 days, from 3 to 12 September. Everyone can register at www.mlijecnastaza.hr, with the early-bird registration period from 1 to 15 June.

It is crucial that children with disabilities are provided with high-quality professional support because for them this can make all the difference between an opportunity to achieve their potential and living at the margins of society. Nevertheless, many children are still waiting to access professional services and do not have appropriate opportunities to develop their capabilities.  Through the Milky Way Run and the Let’s Turn Disabilities into Opportunities national campaign, UNICEF, in cooperation with its partners, wishes to encourage positive change to ensure equal opportunities for every child and to collect funds that will help provide services for children with disabilities, wherever these are lacking or insufficient.

Last year, the Milky Way Run brought together a record 7,210 participants, and collected HRK 1.2 million for equipping sensory cabinets and for the training of sensory integration therapists. With the funds collected through this year’s race, UNICEF will support the establishment and broadening of day-care services and psychosocial group support for children with disabilities, and will ensure a quality support programme for the parents of children with disabilities in areas where such services are least accessible.  Day-care and psychosocial support are an opportunity for children with disabilities to develop by working with experts and socialising with their peers, and for them to acquire the skills that will enable them to become more independent, to carry out everyday activities and participate in the life of their communities.

Many public figures support the Milky Way Run from the “Start”

Every year, UNICEF’s races are being increasingly recognised by a large number of public figures who gladly participate and help promote the idea of equal opportunities for every child in Croatia.

“The Milky Way Run is a special race because children are always the winners. Urgent support for girls and boys with disabilities and their families is extremely important, especially in places where there are no professional services catering for their needs, or where these services are difficult to access. Therefore, I invite everyone to join the Milky Way Run so that we can all collect  kilometres of opportunities to swiftly provide children with disabilities with the opportunities they deserve”, said Bojana Gregorić Vejzović, UNICEF’s Goodwill Ambassador.   

Mirna Medaković Stepinac, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, also pointed out the importance of supporting children with disabilities and invited everyone to join the race: “This year we can all be the stars of the Milky Way and together turn difficulties into opportunities. Every child is important and every child should have the opportunity to receive professional support and develop their abilities, regardless of which part of Croatia they live in. Join us for a UNICEF virtual race where everyone can take part! Run, walk, rollerskate, ride a bike, a wheelchair, and help provide important services for children with disabilities and their parents, where these services are not available or are least available.”

The Croatian Paralympic Committee is also this year’s partner of the Milky Way Run. Paralympic athlete and national champion in the discus, Jelena Vuković, said the following about the Milky Way Run: “It is a special honour for me as a Paralympic athlete to have the opportunity to participate in UNICEF’s Milky Way Run again this year.  Providing children with disabilities with access to services is necessary and highly important since parents of children with disabilities often find themselves without any real professional support.  And this is why I am proud to support the Milky Way Run and with my contribution to help raise public awareness of the importance of improving the quality of life of children with disabilities and also their parents. I invite everyone again this year to start running, walking, riding, pushing yourself for a few kilometres as a sign of support, so that we all together turn disabilities into possiilities!”

“Every year, I take part with great pleasure in the Milky Way Run because this race brings important changes for children. We have done a lot of things together, but we still have a long way to go to reach the goal that every child with disabilities in Croatia has equal opportunities and access to key services. This is why I am taking part this year, too, and I invite everyone to join - in September we run, we ride, we walk, we hike, and in this way, we provide support for girls and boys with disabilities”, stressed Nevena Rendeli Vejzović, Race Ambassador.

Dr. Natko Beck, “Communicator of the Year” and radiology specialist in Srebrnjak Children’s Hospital, is also joining this year’s Milky Way Run and inviting everyone to join: “Children with disabilities need our support to achieve their full potential. If they get access to the services they need in due time, they can participate equally in the life of their surroundings and reach for the ‘stars’.  I am joining the Milky Way Run because I believe that disabilities can become opportunities. Register and we will socialise virtually in September while helping provide every child with the opportunity to make their dreams come true!”

“This year I am running the Milky Way again for those dearest to us, all children! There is no more beautiful feeling than that when you can be a model for positive change, and, thanks to UNICEF, we have the opportunity to do just that! Join in - at a running pace, and make life and the world a more beautiful place for children with disabilities, as well as for their parents who breathe and live for their little ones”, said TV host Ana Radišić.

“We run, we walk, we ride bikes, we use wheelchairs – all for one very noble goal! All this for children with disabilities. In fact, this is the least we can do to support them. I did not hesitate at all to take part in the race, and it is a great honour to participate. This is a duty for all of us because we must create a society that is good enough for all children to have equal opportunities. As a person in a wheelchair, I can participate in UNICEF’s Milky Way Run because it is this race in particular that proves that we are all equal.  And that we must create such a society for children. To feel loved and valued. To have lots of support at any moment while growing up! They must know that they can dream and make their dreams come true.  For these reasons, join the race! If I can do it, then you can, too. For a great goal”, said Jan Bolić, author, and second-time participant in the Milky Way Run.

Prijavite se uz posebnu early bird kotizaciju/donaciju do 15. lipnja na www.mlijecnastaza.hr  

Pratite informacije o Mliječnoj stazi 2021. na službenom Facebook eventu utrke.