Arsenal support Save the Children
Charity
In 2003, Arsenal Football Club strengthened its charitable giving by channeling its fundraising and awareness raising efforts into one nominated charity each season, known as the ‘Be a Gooner. Be a Giver.’ campaign.
Over the course of seven years, the Club partnered with charities including ChildLine, the David Rocastle Trust, the Willow Foundation, TreeHouse, Teenage Cancer Trust, Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity and Centrepoint, raising nearly £3million in the process.
‘Be a Gooner. Be a Giver.’ was a legacy left by the partnership with TreeHouse; the national charity for autism education. This partnership raised the bar in terms of fundraising and innovation in 2008, smashing previous fundraising efforts with the Club and its supporters, raising over half a million pounds for the charity’s new National Centre for Autism Education.
The Club then partnered with Teenage Cancer Trust, the charity dedicated to improving the lives of young people with cancer, working towards the funding of an education zone inside a brand new Day Care Centre at University Hospital London. The following season, Arsenal teamed up with Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital, smashing all previous fundraising targets to raise more than £800,000 for a new Lung Function Unit.
In 2010/11, youth homelessness charity Centrepoint were the beneficiaries of the Club’s support, with over £600,000 being raised towards the refurbishment of a building in Soho to help homeless young people gain essential life skills to get back on their feet and stay off the streets permanently.
Over the course of a season, supporters, staff and players show tremendous generosity across a number of fundraising events and initiatives, including a dedicated matchday for the charity around Christmas time, when Arsenal players donate a day’s wages to the charity and the flagship end of season Charity Ball, which sees the Arsenal first team, celebrity guests and Arsenal supporters raising money in an evening of spectacular entertainment and generous fundraising.
Ahead of the 2011/12 season, international charity Save the Children were announced as the Club’s first Official Global Charity Partner. Over the course of the partnership, the Club will work with the charity to help the poorest children get a better start in life and give them the chance to grow and fulfil their potential. Through this work, the Club will help Save the Children towards its vision of transforming the lives of over three million children a year through education by 2013. For more information about the partnership, visit www.arsenal.com/savethechildren.
Charity news archive:
Print this page Email to a friend
