Page 60 - Mokazine 4 Eng

JEAN-PHILIPPE COURONNE: DRIVEN BY
A SENSE OF SERVICE
Jean-Philippe Couronne has been involved for nearly three years in the Moka’mwad citizen collective
as “refreshments leader” during the Moka Trail events. A special focus on a person who is always ready to help.
moka’mwad
Jean-Philippe Couronne joined
ENL Property in 2019 as a Geographic Information System (GIS) Technician, in charge of collecting and using geographical data to create plans. The turning point came one day when his colleague Ketty Lim Ka Lan, manager of Moka’mwad, was looking for volunteers for the Moka Trail. It didn’t take him long to decide to join in! Jean-Philippe shares common values with the citizen collective such as mutual support and the sense of sharing.
That’s why Jean-Philippe has
been put in charge of one of the refreshment stands for the last
three editions of the Moka Trail, and he wouldn’t miss the next ones for anything in the world! “I am often
in charge of 4 to 8 volunteers. And every year, I meet with people who were on my team for a previous edition – volunteering creates bonds.
While waiting for the
runners to pass by, we
also have time to joke and get
to know each other better,” he says.
In addition to the rewarding encounters, this role enables him
to feel useful – especially during
trail running events, which may sometimes prove a testing challenge for participants. “We don’t only manage food and water distribution, we record the passage of runners, encourage them and pay attention to their health condition. In case of fatigue or injury, we are there to help them and call a doctor if needed.”
However, the Moka Trail requires much preparation upstream, and on race day, including meetings
to finalise the teams, creating WhatsApp groups to communicate, coordinating the distribution of t-shirts for volunteers,
collecting food and drinks and setting up the marquees and tables for refreshments. “You must keep an eye on things before and during the trail event to make sure nothing is missing,” he says.
Running enthusiasts may come across Jean-Philippe at the next Moka Trail!
58 MOKAZINE / NO 4 / 2022