John McGurk

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

John Alexander McGurk (born February 21, 1961 in Glasgow ) is a Scottish paper technologist and extreme sportsman who has lived in Osnabrück and Lotte since 1986 . For the support of charitable children's aid projects all over the world, he has so far collected over 1.5 million euros through his commitment.

Life

McGurk grew up in poverty in Glasgow. His father beat his mother until she left her five children behind. When McGurk was 9 years old, he was sent to a children's home where the guard beat the children.

With the British Army of the Rhine , McGurk came to Osnabrück in the early 1980s and stayed there after his military service as a paper maker. When he found out about the mass extinction in Sudan in the late 1980s , he decided to walk long distances to raise money for children in need. To draw attention to himself, McGurk completes the runs in his traditional Scottish kilt .

McGurk is one of the main organizers of the peace run from Osnabrück to Münster , the proceeds of which went to the Unesco Foundation in 2012 . John McGurk is supported by the association “Sportler 4 a childrens world e. V. “, of which he is the first chairman.

Since 1993 he has been a member of UNICEF and World Vision Germany . He is regional ambassador for terre des hommes Deutschland e. V. and since 2018 ambassador for the program The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award - Germany . In 2019 McGurk published his autobiography “Get up, fix your kilt, keep fighting. How the drama of my childhood became the calling of my life ”.

McGurk is married and has three children. He works in the Kämmerer paper mill .

Projects

A selection of the projects of John McGurk and his association Sportler 4 a childrens world:

  • 2018: 750 km charity and solidarity run from Osnabrück City Hall through five countries to London for the benefit of SOS Children's Villages worldwide
  • 2017: A chance 4 children for terre des hommes
  • 2016: 1000 km 1in3 charity run from Osnabrück to Glasgow
  • 2015: 2140 km: Germany's longest charity run against child poverty in Germany, in favor of Die Arche .
  • 2014: 500 km from Osnabrück to Frankfurt Airport, flight to São Paulo to hand over a donation to the football player Cafu for the benefit of terre des hommes (second part of a two-year project)
  • 2013: 535 km Osnabrück - Sylt for street children in Brazil, cooperation with the foundation of the football player Cafu in São Paulo (first part of a two-year project)
  • 2012: 1200 km charity run for an ark in Warsaw
  • 2010: 800 km charity run to South Africa for AIDS orphans in South Africa (joint campaign with terre des hommes Germany)
  • 2009: Against child poverty in Germany, 600 km charity run from Münster / Osnabrück Airport via Hanover Airport to Berlin Brandenburg Airport
  • 2008: Peace run, 1000 km from Osnabrück via Strasbourg (F), Basel (CH) for the Middle East in favor of the Meshi Center in Jerusalem (campaign: A heart for children )
  • 2007: G8 run from Osnabrück to Rostock for children with AIDS in Africa ( World Vision Germany )
  • 2006: Sauerland marathon in favor of the "Dolphin therapy for Fabian" campaign
  • 2005: Tsunami run from Osnabrück to Hanover for victims (children) of the tsunami disaster in December 2004 (A heart for children)
  • 2004: Frankfurt Marathon for a kindergarten in Kabul (A heart for children)
  • 2003: Berlin marathon for children in Beslan (medical and psychological care - a heart for children)
  • 2002: Sauerland marathon for Nils, who suffered from the rare metabolic disorder MLD (private campaign in Osnabrück)
  • 2001: Sponsorship for the girl Alekela in Malawi (World Vision)
  • 2000: At the turn of the millennium : Tombola and fundraising campaign by Ahlstrom , Osnabrück, initiated for ex- child soldiers in Sierra Leone (UNICEF)
  • 1997: Kämmerer running meeting in Büren organized for war-traumatized children of the Bosnian War (UNICEF)

honors and awards

For the organization of a 500 km charity run, the proceeds of which went to orphans in Ethiopia , he was awarded the German Children's Prize in 2007 in the audience award category.

On October 16, 2012, the city of Osnabrück awarded John McGurk the Citizen's Medal for his commitment to children in need. The reason says: "The award is in recognition of his many years of voluntary work in favor of disadvantaged children and young people, including as 1st chairman of the Sportler 4 a children's world eV"

On December 17, 2013, John McGurk was honored by Mayor Rainer Lammers in his place of residence Lotte with the Federal Cross of Merit on ribbon, "for extraordinary services to domestic and foreign children", which he had earned over the course of 25 years, as stated in the laudatory speech called.

Further honors

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Sportler 4 a childrens world eV , homepage
  2. ↑ Schotte runs kilometers for a good cause in 2015 Munich, May 8, 2015
  3. ↑ John McGurk - With a kilt and good condition Article by Svenja Dierker, August 2013 (PDF)
  4. ↑ a b In a tartan skirt over the island of Sylter Rundschau, March 10, 2012
  5. ↑ 60 kilometers through the heat: Third Peace Run from Osnabrück to Münster noz.de, August 15, 2012
  6. ↑ Team and board of s4acw.de
  7. ↑ 85,000 euros for children in need press release from terre des hommes on receiving a donation check from regional ambassador John McGurk, December 20, 2017
  8. ↑ Structure, participants and support , dofe-germany.de, accessed on June 15, 2020.
  9. ↑ Abused as a child: McGurk has nightmares to this day , noz.de, September 11, 2019, accessed on February 8, 2020.
  10. ↑ John McGurk s4acw.de
  11. ↑ Meshi Center meshicenter.org
  12. ↑ Press release from World Vision Germany about the run to the G8 meeting in Rostock
  13. ↑ German Children Award 2007 john-mcgurk.de
  14. ^ German Children's Prize 2007 - 26 award winners honored in Cologne presseportal.de, November 17, 2007
  15. ↑ carrier citizens medal osnabrueck.de
  16. ↑ Help for children in need: Federal Cross of Merit for John McGurk Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung Online, December 17, 2013
  17. ↑ 1300 men bow before King John , noz.de, February 7, 2020, accessed on February 8, 2020.
personal data
SURNAME McGurk, John
ALTERNATIVE NAMES McGurk, John Alexander
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Scottish paper technologist and extreme sportsman
DATE OF BIRTH February 21, 1961
PLACE OF BIRTH Glasgow