John McGurk

“The more good I do, the less I am afraid of dying.“ (John Alexander McGurk)

Dear guest, thank you for visiting our website. Sportler 4 a childrens world (s4acw) is a registered association with the aim of helping children in poverty and distress. Our marvelous group has got an incredible degree of responsibility, endurance and 21 years of voluntary experience in helping those children. Up to today we have been able to help many traumatized children. The reasons for this work have their roots in my own childhood. I was born into poverty and had to live in orphanages for many years. The hardship of that decade took me severely ill, and I was seriously traumatized. Traumatic experiences may be beyond remedy, but one must learn to accept them and help the poor children who must suffer them. The pain I suffered is now the personal knowledge of s4acw. It is now our intention to unite this personal experience with our association’s work, to broaden this field of knowledge and to make it thus possible to help even more children.

“Let us touch the dying, the poor, the lonely and the unwanted according to the graces we have received and let us not be ashamed or slow to do the humble work.” (Mother Teresa)

Projects supported and sponsored by John McGurk and Sportler 4 a childrens world e.V.:

2018 – Part one of our project 2018/19 for SOS-Kinderdörfer: crossing five countries on the way from Osnabrück to London
2017 – 50th anniversary of the child welfare organization terre des hommes: on the St. James Way and across Northern Germany – a chance for children … and a private audience with Pope Francis
2016 – Running through four countries for needy children in John’s hometown Glasgow – 1in3 Charity Run
2015 – 2015 km across Germany for the children of the Arche – Reno Charity Run 2015
2014 – Second half of the 2013/2014 project for children in Brazil – Charity Run via Frankfurt to Sao Paulo
2013 – John McGurk is awarded the Bundesverdienstkreuz / First half of the 2013/14 project for children in Brazil – Charity Run to Sylt
2012 – John McGurk is awarded the Citizen’s Medal of Osnabrück; from Osnabrück to Warsaw: 1.200 km Charity Run for the first Arche in Poland
2011 – 48-hour-run against childhood poverty in Osnabrück and message of peace in New York in commemoration of the attacks on 9/11/2001.
2010 – 800 km Charity run to South Africa in favor of children orphaned by Aids (cooperation with terre des hommes e.V.)
2009 – Against child poverty in Germany, 600 km charity run from Frankfurt Airport via Hannover Airport to BBI Berlin
2008 – Foundation of the association Sportler 4 a childrens world e.V.
2008 – Peace run, 1000 km from Osnabrück via Straßburg (F), Basel (CH) in favor of the Near East, to Meshi Centre in Jerusalem (Campaign: „Ein Herz für Kinder“, i. e. A Heart for Children)
2007 – G8-run from Osnabrück to Rostock in favor of African children suffering from Aids (World Vision)
2006 – Sauerland Marathon, dolphin therapy for Fabian
2005 – Tsunami run from Osnabrück to Hannover for victims (children) of the tsunami in 2004 („Ein Herz für Kinder“)
2004 – Frankfurt Marathon for a kindergarten in Kabul („Ein Herz für Kinder“)
2003 – Berlin Marathon for children in Beslan (med. and psych. care – „Ein Herz für Kinder“)
2002 – Sauerland-Marathon for Nils, suffering from a rare metabolic disorder named MLD (private initiative in Osnabrück)
2001 – Taken on sponsorship for the girl Alekela in Malawi (World Vision)
2000 – On occasion of the millenium change: initialized tombola and donation campaign, Ahlstrom Company, Osnabrück, for ex child soldiers in Sierra Leone (Unicef)
1997 – Organization of Kämmerer’s running group in Büren for war traumatized children of the Bosnian War (Unicef)
Further support and initiation of many local activities in the Osnabrück area

In 2007, John McGurk receives the Deutscher Kinderpreis (RTL)
John McGurk initiates and supports numerous local projects such as the marathons of the Paul Moor Bildungszentrum (Heilpädagogische Hilfe Bersenbrück). Since 1993 he has been a member of Unicef.