Icheon City Runs Forward with 'This Time (N) Run! Icheon Hometown Love Donation Program'

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Eom In-yong] Icheon City set up a promotional booth for the Icheon City Hometown Love Donation Program at the site of the '25th Icheon Ceramic Marathon' and launched active promotional activities under the slogan 'Hometown Love Donation Program, This Time (N) Icheon'.

Held for the first time in five years since 2019 due to the impact of COVID-19, the event drew approximately 5,400 participants from across the country, filling the venue with enthusiasm and interest in marathon racing.

To activate the hometown love donation program and naturally promote a culture of giving, the city conducted passionate promotional activities including relay support with celebrities, while also operating a promotional booth at the venue.

The booth introduced the hometown love donation program and explained how to participate and the rewards available, distributed promotional items, and actively promoted the program while supporting event participants.

Particularly, marathon clubs from sister cities Samcheok City and Andong City participated in the promotion, showcasing the deep friendship between the two regions. City public relations staff members wore stickers, flags, and small banners as promotional items and participated in the event, conducting what is called 'grassroots promotional activities' by utilizing YouTube livestream broadcasts throughout various courses of each event category.

In April of this year, the city implemented mutual donations with Seogwipo City at the 38th Icheon Ceramic Festival, and in May held a rewards selection committee meeting to select 10 suppliers and 21 additional reward items including experience-based rewards such as rural theme park accommodation vouchers (scheduled for October), sweet potato and peach harvest experiences, flower tea making, and Icheon rice pizza making, providing greater benefits to donors.

In June, the city signed a business agreement with nearby cities and counties including Gwangju City, Hanam City, Yangpyeong County, and Yeoju City to activate the hometown love donation program, taking the lead in promoting the program through various methods.

Lee Tae-hee, head of the city's public relations division, said, "I am grateful to the staff members who ran on foot despite the hot weather to promote Icheon City's Hometown Love Donation Program," and "Since this is grassroots promotional activity, I hope the advantages of the program are conveyed quickly to citizens and Icheon City's Hometown Love Donation Program becomes more widely known."