It's not just the catering and event industry that is suffering greatly due to coronavirus. The "Tour of Hope" charity tour also saw a decline in donations in 2020. Stadtwerke Gießen is therefore helping with an extraordinary donation.
The longer the pandemic lasts, the more clearly it becomes apparent which industries and professional groups are struggling particularly hard with the crisis. However, it is not only companies and the self-employed who have to come to terms with the economic consequences of the two lockdowns and the restrictions that apply in between. Associations that have regularly organised charity events to raise money for the fight against cancer can also look back on a sobering year. The Tour of Hope is one of these coronavirus losers. And so are the children on the Peiper ward at Giessen University Hospital, who benefit from the usually generous donations.
"We realised relatively early on that 2020 would be a tough year for the Tour of Hope," explains Jens Schmidt, Commercial Director of Stadtwerke Gießen (SWG). An assessment that could not have been more accurate. This is because the actual tour through Upper Franconia - the main source of income - fell victim to the virus. Compared to 2019, this means a loss of around 75 per cent of donations.
Keeping the good cause in mind
As one of the major and long-standing partners, SWG is naturally supporting the Tour der Hoffnung even in such a situation - with an extraordinary donation of 20,000 euros. "We realise that we can only minimally mitigate the loss," explains Jens Schmidt on the occasion of the donation handover, "but it was important to us to set an example to keep the really good cause in people's minds and perhaps motivate others to get involved as well."
Helping the Tour of Hope even in difficult times is a matter close to the hearts of those responsible at SWG. After all, the company has been cooperating with the Tour for more than a quarter of a century. "We celebrated the 25th anniversary of our collaboration in 2019," explains Jens Schmidt. He adds: "We are a little proud of that. After all, sponsoring partnerships that work so well over such a long period of time are not all that common."
Of course, the tour organisers also play their part in this good cooperation. "We do everything we can to be a reliable partner for SWG," says Dr Mathias Rinn, Sporting Director of the Tour. This includes working professionally and sharing information quickly and directly. He was joined by his wife and patron Petra Behle, Head of Organisation Gerhard Becker and Karsten Koch, also Sports Director, to accept the symbolic cheque. Dr Mathias Rinn added: "SWG's commitment this year cannot be overestimated. Not just because of the amount. But also because we were unable to cycle. This meant that the tour lost much of its advertising impact."
Optimistic for the new year
So far, no one can seriously estimate whether the Tour will continue as usual in 2021. But everyone involved is optimistic about the future. "Of course, it would be extremely important for the tour and by far the best solution if it could take place again next summer," says Jens Schmidt. But no matter how the situation develops, the two partners will continue their successful cooperation. With and without the virus. And when the going gets tough, perhaps even because of it. Because it's much easier to get through difficult times together.