J.P. Morgan supports Laureus Foundation

L to R: Prudence Fester, Keuen Roberts, Jerome Mgata, Morne du Plessis, Nawaal Nacerodien

The participants will also make an impact in the South African community as J.P. Morgan will make a donation of behalf of all Corporate Challenge participants to The Laureus Sport For Good Foundation.

The Laureus Sport for Good Foundation raises funds to provide financial and practical support to more than 140 projects worldwide which use the power of sport to provide coaching and education to young people in some of the most challenging and deprived environments around the world.

Thankful for generosity

"The Laureus Sport for Good Foundation in South Africa is extremely proud and excited to be part of the J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge 2014," said Morne du Plessis, former Springbok captain and long serving chairman of the Laureus Foundation South Africa. "Laureus currently impacts thousands of kids through the power of sport in South Africa and significantly more around the world, and thanks to the generosity of J.P. Morgan, we can continue to effect positive change on these young lives."

The potential impact of the J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge participants is personified by 17-year-old Jerome Mgata of Khayalitsha. Losing his father at age eight, Jerome was brought up by his mother and sister. The next year he suffered severe burns to 30% of his body in a gasoline fire. Ashamed of the scarring, Jerome withdrew from the community and his beloved sport of rugby.

Refused to give up

His friends and coaches refused to give up on him and continued to encourage and support him through this difficult period. Through rugby he was able to find an avenue for expression and to ultimately forget his 'differences', and to once again take up his place as a valued and most popular member of his community.

Six years later, at the 2013 Legends Cup hosted by the South African Rugby Legends Association and the Vuka Rugby Trust, Jerome was one of the standout leaders players at the Legends Cup. With the help and support of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, he was accepted onto the prestigious MacSteel Maestros Programme at the Sports Science Institute of South Africa, joining the likes of Olympians Chad le Clos and Natalie du Toit, past graduates of the programme.

Celebrities participating

This year a number of Laureus Ambassadors are giving of their time and will be running on behalf of this good cause at the J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge this year, namely Butch James (former South African rugby player), Cynthia Tshaka (TV personality), Deshun Deysel (South Africa's leading female mountaineer) and many others, running alongside Johannesburg's top business people.

Laureus supports and assists a worldwide programme of sports related community projects that have been working to educate children, protect the vulnerable from illness and even bring people from divided communities together in friendship for over ten years.

The 11th running of the J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge® will start at 6:30pm and will be followed by a post race concert featuring the ever popular hit band Mi Casa and 94.7 Highveld Stereo's DJ Vin Deysel.