Beerse, 7 October 2004 - Janssen Pharmaceutica
today handed over a check for 10,000 euros
to the Association of Parents of Children
Killed in Road Accidents (APCKRA).
Earlier this year, Janssen Pharmaceutica,
prizewinner of the Company Transport Check
program, had received a prize of 10,000 euros
from the Flemish government for the company’s
overall mobility plan and its effective infrastructure
for cyclists.
Rik Luyckx, external services supervisor
for Technical Services, had submitted the
project last year to the Flemish government
and received the award earlier this year
(28 May 2004) from Minister Gilbert Bossuyt. “We
were very honored by the Flemish government’s
recognition of our efforts, but we felt that
we ought to donate the money to an organization
that needed it more than Janssen Pharmaceutica
and that is concerned with improving road
safety. APCKRA was therefore a logical choice
for us,” explained Rik Luyckx.
Francis Herbert, Secretary-General of APCKRA,
commented as follows about the donation: “The
association was founded ten years ago and
the number of initiatives that we have started
up is growing. This check is an unexpected
but very welcome boost, not only financially,
but also morally. It shows that there is
a growing awareness that we must offer the
best possible protection to the vulnerable
road user, especially children.”
Janssen Pharmaceutica’s
Mobility Plan
Janssen Pharmaceutica has been
a trendsetter in this area for many years
now and was one of the first firms in Flanders
to come up with its own company transport
plan in the early 1990s. Janssen has already
launched several initiatives to solve – or
at least substantially alleviate - the
transport problems of its employees. Examples
of these are the many bicycle sheds, special
entrance gates for cyclists, and the encouragement
of the use of bicycles. In order to promote
public transport, travel passes are fully
refunded by the employer.
The Award of the Flemish Government
Last year, the Flemish government
launched the Company Transport Check campaign
to encourage firms to take measures that
are likely to have a favorable impact on
commuter traffic. This project was initiated
by Renaat Landuyt, former Flemish minister
of Employment and Tourism, and Gilbert Bossuyt,
former Flemish minister of Mobility, Public
Works and Energy.
The Association of Parents of Children Killed in Road Accidents
The non-profit association APCKRA was founded in 1994 when a number
of parents got together each of whom had lost a child in a road accident.
The primary objective of the association
is to offer support and assistance to the
families of very young road accident victims.
Its purpose is, in the first place, to offer
moral support to the bereaved families through
its local representatives, who are themselves
parents who have gone through this tragedy. The
association also tries to support and assist
these families in their contacts and relations
with various services and institutions they
have to deal with (state and municipal police,
insurance companies, public prosecutor, the
courts).
In addition to this priority objective,
the association is interested in working
together with all associations, groups and
institutions that are concerned with improving
safety for the vulnerable road user, especially
children.
FLITS! A play by Wim Geysen
The
presentation
of the
check
was followed
by a
play
titled
FLITS!
by Wim
Geysen.
This piece is a monologue commissioned
by APCKRA.
Its main
theme
is a
fatal
night
out by
a group
of young
people.
Despite
the seriousness
of the theme, it is an open and cheerful
play that captivates the audience for three
quarters of an hour and makes people reflect
on the issue of road safety. The play
was performed at the request of schools
and public authorities.
For more information, contact:
Janssen Pharmaceutica: Stefan Gijssels – 014-60 3030
Ouders van Verongelukte Kinderen: Paul Vande Walle – 055-38 8037
