Charity mega-event at Schalkes Arena
FC Schalke 04 wants to celebrate its 114th birthday in a very special way. By breaking the world record in organising the biggest cinema event, the German club attempts to raise money for a foundation which aims to support people with dementia.
At the 4th of May at 19.04 the doors of the Veltins-Arena will open for the fans. One hour later a film about the life and work of Rudi Assauer will premiere. Assauer is a former manager of Schalke 04. He was in charge when Schalke 04 won its only international title, the 1997 UEFA-Cup. Assauer suffers since 2006 from dementia and stepped then out of the clubs management. His case was the starting point for the ‘Rudi Assauer Initiative’ which aims to raise awareness, funds research and supports projects targeting people with dementia financially.
Thomas Behler, CEO of the ‘Rudi Assuaer Initiative’, highlighted the importance of the engagement on the theme dementia: “The subject of dementia is still a taboo. Rudi Assauer is a great example of how to deal with the disease aggressively and courageously.”
World record
The revenues of the movie night in the Veltins-Arena receives the initiative. Therefore, FC Schalke 04 hopes for a huge participation of the fans and also tries to achieve a record-
breaking number of spectators. The actual world record for movie visitors was established on the 4th of October 2015 in Ciudad de Victoria (43.624 spectators). Due to the strong connection and popularity of Assauer the organisers are optimistic.
As the former manager, the club itself is also integrated in the region. In 2008, the club set up the Foundation “Schalke hilft!” based on the idea to provide quick, unbureaucratic and local help to the people living in Gelsenkirchen, the Ruhr area and the surrounding regions.
Social engagement in surrounding areas- Schalke 04
