Keeping with their Christmas tradition, Schalke players pay visit to young patients

Keeping with their Christmas tradition, Schalke players pay visit to young patients

Every year before Christmas, FC Schalke 04’s first team players visit different institutions around Gelsenkirchen to visit children. Also this year on Saint Nicholas Day, the players and staff members paid a visit to two hospitals to create memorable moments for the young patients and their families.

The initiative is organised by the club’s foundation “Schalke Hilft!” and each year again a great success. On Wednesday 6th of December, the players split up in three groups to surprise children at the Children and Youth Hospital Gelsenkirchen and the children’s cancer ward of the University Hospital Essen. Next to that, more than 150 of children were invited to the VELTINS-Arena, the home ground of FC Schalke 04, to bake Christmas cookies together with Weston McKennie, Franco Di Santo, Coke, Sascha Riether and Naldo.

All children in the hospital received a FC Schalke 04 ‘Kumpelbox’ filled with presents and treats. Additionally, Daniel Caligiuri, Max Meyer, Matija Nastasic, Yevhen Konoplyanka, Amine Harit, Pablo Insua and Michael Langer handed over a check of 1904 Euro.

Guido Burgstaller, Bastian Oczipka, Thilo Kehrer, Benjamin Stamboulo, Fabian Reese, Alex Nübel and Breel Embolo visited the children’s cancer ward of the University Hospital Essen. After a bed-ball-tournament, won by the little patients, the players visited all children that were not able to leave their hospital rooms. For the children, it was a beautiful day which made them forget their illness for a couple of hours. Yet, also for the players it was again a great day and experience.

Bastian Oczipka – “I really believe that with small and simple gestures or simply with paying a visit it is possible to give happiness to the children and strength for their treatment. Even if it is only giving them a smile or the opportunity to talk about this moment with their parents. If we manage to accomplish this, we already have reached and given a lot to the children. This makes me happy.”