Last Sunday, 30 June, Stadtwerke Gießen (SWG) donated 125,000 euros to the Tour of Hope. During the SWG family celebration to mark the anniversary of the municipal utility, the two SWG board members presented the cheque to the two organisers and leaders of the charity tour, Gerhard Becker and Volker Klein.
The Tour of Hope started for the first time in Giessen in 1983. In the same year, the then unknown German singer Nena made her breakthrough with her song "99 Luftballons". So Stadtwerke Gießen (SWG) brought just the right artist to Central Hesse for its SWG benefit concert in aid of the charity tour. Last Saturday, Nena attracted 4700 fans from young to old to the SWG company premises and thrilled them with her performance.
The visitors experienced an unforgettable evening and at the same time made a contribution to a good cause. Stadtwerke rounded up the entire proceeds from ticket sales to 125,000 euros and donated the amount to the organisers of the Tour of Hope on Sunday, 30 June. The two SWG board members Manfred Siekmann and Reinhard Paul handed over the donation cheque to Gerhard Becker and Volker Klein - the highlight of the 75 good deeds in Stadtwerke's anniversary year. The two sponsors of the good deed, Manfred Siekmann and Reinhard Paul, explained: "It was immediately clear to us that we also wanted to support the Tour of Hope with one of the 75 good deeds. After all, the charity tour is the social project par excellence in the region. So it's all the better that the proceeds from the ticket sales made such a tidy sum."
Commitment to children with cancer
The 30th Tour of Hope starts in around a month and a half. Once again this year, numerous politicians, entrepreneurs, amateur athletes and former competitive athletes will be getting on the saddle and pedalling for a good cause. Professor Fritz Lampert, a doctor from Giessen, launched the charity ride in 1983 to raise money for children with leukaemia and cancer and for cancer research throughout Germany. An idea that became a success story. Some of the best-known participants in the past include former German President Horst Köhler and former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder. This year's riders include double Olympic bobsleigh champion Christoph Langen, former professional cyclist Kai Hundertmarck and boxing legend Henry Maske.
"Every year, we are delighted with the large number of celebrities who get on their bikes and sometimes cover daily stages of more than 100 kilometres. The participants make a decisive contribution to the success of the Tour of Hope," explained Gerhard Becker, Head of Organisation of the Tour of Hope. In this context, Volker Klein, sports director, referred to the long-standing cooperation with Stadtwerke Gießen: "SWG has been involved since 1995 and helps us with the organisation and fundraising. We would like to thank Stadtwerke in particular for the SWG benefit concert in favour of the tour."
Tour starts from the SWG premises
The donation pot has already grown to more than 27 million euros during the tours over the past 29 years. In 2012 alone, the tour participants collected over 1.6 million euros. Every cent of this went to children with cancer. This is because the costs for the organisation and staging are borne by companies such as Stadtwerke Gießen. "It is simply overwhelming to see how committed this large tour family is to raising these huge sums of money year after year. That's why we help wherever we can," emphasised Manfred Siekmann. His fellow board member Reinhard Paul assured that this will not change in the future: "We at Stadtwerke will definitely remain involved and look forward to many more years together. Next up is the prologue on 14 August, which will once again start from our company premises." Other stage locations in the following days include Petersberg, Melsungen, Kassel and Bad Wildungen.