Title sponsor Porsche is set to donate 75 euro for every birdie made during the four tournament rounds at this week's European Open as part of the “Birdies for Charity” fundraiser, with all money raised going towards Ukraine aid projects.
In similar fashion to the already long-established Aces for Charity at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix or the Racing for Charity fundraiser marking the 100th anniversary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, a donation will be made to charitable organisations for every birdie made during the tournament in Hamburg.
Each donation of 75 euro - chosen for the 75th aniversary of the founding of the sports car manufacturer - will be split up equally between the “JOBLINGE Hamburg” and the “Hamburger Abendblatt hilft” initiatives.
“Social commitment is an integral part of Porsche’s corporate culture, and the same also goes for our commitment in sport,” said Sebastian Rudolph, Vice President Communications, Sustainability and Politics of Porsche AG.
“We will also be contributing significantly at the Porsche European Open. Birdies for Charity will add further momentum to our societal responsibility and help organisations committed to Ukraine aid projects.”
In the nationwide JOBLINGE initiative, the private, public and volunteer sectors are all committed to supporting disadvantaged young persons – and to closing the gap between their origins and a future. The objective – real job chances and long-term integration within the employment market.
JOBLINGE Hamburg wants to initiate mental health courses for Ukrainian refugees with the donation. The initiative intends to provide half-daily courses to accompany existing language tuition. Issues like flight and war trauma or dealing with stress in everyday life will be broached by a psychologist. The aim of the workshop, lasting several days, is to enable participants to obtain a perspective on themselves and their current situation thus making them capable of acting on their own again.
The “Hamburger Abendblatt hilft e. V.” initiative has been supporting needy adults, adolescents and children in the Hamburg metropolitan region with a variety of projects since 1975.
The Birdies for Charity donation will go to help funding the “Schrödingers City Kids” community centre that has been caring for Ukrainian refugees in the Schanzenpark district of the city since April 2022.
The open meeting place invites Ukrainian refugees and their families and host families to actively come together from Monday to Friday. About 100 Ukrainian visitors come to the community centre every day with their children. German language courses are offered three times a week and there is also the opportunity for adults to talk, receive advice and network in the café. In the future, homework help will be provided three times a week for children. The donation will go towards to implementing both measures and to securing them financially.
At last year’s Porsche European Open, a total of 1,243 birdies were made. The hole with the most birdies was the 18th where 174 were recorded.
