The Turawa Park Shopping Center, managed by BNP Paribas Real Estate Poland, has decided to take advantage of its location and reach out to customers with an annual initiative that promotes a sporting lifestyle, but also contributes to the support of people in need, which is why on the last Saturday of June it organized the 7^th edition of its flagship event - the Charity Bike Rally, in which once again gained a record number of participants.

The shopping center market is evolving with the changing needs of today's consumers. Consumers increasingly expect a strong social commitment and the potential of large spaces to be used for events other than purely commercial purposes. The idea of corporate social responsibility (CSR) takes on a new dimension in this context, indicating the role of retail facilities in creating attitudes and values.

Turawa Park is a local shopping center that has focused on supporting initiatives that are important to visitors in the region. Based on research conducted among customers, of which every fourth customer indicated that they come to the Center by bike and over 70% regularly take part in sports, Turawa Park has decided to promote a healthy lifestyle through sports activities. Using its location on the outskirts of Opole, in the immediate vicinity of extensive, rural areas and a large number of bicycle paths, it is consistently pursuing its CSR sports strategy, an integral part of which is the annual Charity Bike Rally, organized with the onset of summer. The event, which has taken place every year for the last seven years, has become a permanent fixture in the calendar of the most important events in Opole.

‘At a time when smog is a major social problem and physical activity among children and young people is declining due to easy access to entertainment such as smartphones and computers, encouraging people to switch from the car to riding a bike can make a significant contribution to reducing car emissions and have a positive impact on health. We decided to use the potential of our location and offer the local community an initiative that will promote sporting activities in daily life, the beautiful surroundings of Turawa and Opole, contribute to the improvement of health, and above all realize the dreams of needy people, and in particular children under the care of the "Mam Marzenie" Foundation. We have been successfully doing this for 7 years and we want to continue this strategy,’ says Agnieszka Pyzanowicz-Francke, Director of Turawa Park Shopping Center.

The 7^th edition of the Charity Bike Rally has proved to be a hit. Over 850 people took part in the event, which almost doubled last year's record of 463 participants. This year the Center invited not only the local community, but also local governments, organizations, universities and local media to take up the cycling challenge. #TurawaParkWyzwanie (the Turawa Park challenge) was taken up by almost 90 people representing a number of institutions operating in Opole, who actively participated in the event. Throughout the day the Rally was accompanied by an all-day Family Picnic taking place in the parking lot in front of Turawa Park Shopping Center. As every year, the whole event was guided by the noble goal of fulfilling the dreams of three people in the care of the "Mam Marzenie" Foundation, with nearly 15,000 zloty collected to fulfil their dreams. In the previous six editions we managed to realize the wishes of as many as nine children.

‘The opportunity to support children’s dreams, making them happy and bringing a smile on their faces, that important when facing the disease, and at the same time the vision of a day spent actively together with family and friends – I didn’t give too much consideration whether to take part in the Charity Rally. I am happy to have finished a 28 km-long beautiful bike lane and I am satisfied that this small effort carries real help,’ says Anna Długosz, participant of the Rally and representative of WSB Universities (Wyższa Szkoła Bankowa) in Opole.

 The Charity Bike Rally helps to strengthen relations not only with customers themselves, but also with organizations operating in Opole and the surrounding area. Every year local governments, city councils, NGOs and the media - the press, radio and television - are involved in its organization. The cycling strategy is consistently implemented throughout the year, because Turawa Park Shopping Center has focused on implementing as many facilities for cyclists in the immediate vicinity as possible. There are many bicycle racks, mostly covered, and at the main entrance to the gallery there is a special zone for bicycle parking. An additional convenience for cyclists is a self-service bicycle repair station.