The effects of the Coronavirus crisis are being felt in all areas of society. Back in mid-March, the BVB foundation ''leuchte auf'' launched a fundraising campaign to counteract the damage caused by the virus and provide direct help in the places it's needed most. A total of €72,000 has been raised in the past months, and a large portion of this has already been paid out to various charitable organisations. 

The donations will primarily be used to support non-profit organisations and initiatives that have either been hit particularly hard by the effects of the pandemic, that are conducting research on the virus, or are particularly involved in promoting the health of all people in society. The foundation has deliberately taken its time to identify projects and initiatives that specifically address the problems caused by the pandemic. So far, a total of €45,368 has been distributed to the following organisations:

Bieber.Burmann for you e.V. (€6,000 donation)

This charitable organisation, which focuses on promoting and supporting youth leisure facilities, is launching a project to help ensure that all the young people they support, who often have few or no family ties, are not left alone during the current crisis. 

bodo e.V. (€5,500 donation) 

Due to the social distancing measures currently in place, the ''bodo'' magazine  cannot be distributed by street vendors. The organisation therefore decided to publish a special ''solidarity'' edition of "bodo", which was made available digitally or as a physical copy delivered through the post. Working together with the fan magazine schwatzgelb.de, bodo have published a special Black & Yellow edition, which can be purchased here: https://bodoev.org/produkt/100-seiten-borussia/

Frauen helfen Frauen e.V. Dortmund (€7,168 donation)

The Coronavirus crisis and the associated restrictions on leaving the home have in many instances worsened the situation for women who suffer from domestic abuse. In Dortmund, the women's shelter and the women's counselling centre offer help, support, counselling services and safe housing. Funds from the donation made by the BVB foundation ''leuchte auf'' will go towards the ''nein heißt nein'' (no means no) campaign, which aims to send out a strong message against sexual violence, provide information on the services offered by the women's advice centre, empower women and promote wider public awareness of these issues. 

Lebenshilfe Castrop-Rauxel, Datteln, Oer-Erkenschwick, Waltrop e.V. (€6,200 donation)

The Coronavirus crisis has posed a great challenge for the in-patient care facilities of the Lebenshilfe Verein. In order to ensure that the approximately 80 people with learning disabilities who live in the organisation's three residencies are able to receive visits from family members, Lebenshilfe plans to rent out special visiting pods. 

Stiftung Universitätsmedizin Essen (Foundation for University Medicine Essen) (€10,000 donation)

For many years, the Institute of Virology and the Clinic for Infectiology of the University Medical Centre in Essen have been working closely with the Clinic for Infectious Diseases of the Union Hospital in Wuhan. The German and Chinese researchers exchange the results of extensive data and sample evaluations of COVID-19 infection cases.

WHO (World Health Organisation) (€10,000 donation)

The donation supports the World Health Organisation's efforts in the fight against the Coronavirus. This includes: tracking and understanding the spread of the virus, ensuring that patients receive the care they need and frontline staff are provided with the necessary supplies and information, and carrying out research with the aim of developing vaccinations and treatments.

Special thanks go to all the BVB fans who supported the campaign with private donations, participation in auctions and the purchase of shirts and jerseys. BVB-Merchandising GmbH was responsible for the design, implementation and provision of goods for the campaign.

The foundation is currently working with its network partners to identify which other organisations will receive further donations. Please note that the fundraising campaign is not yet over, and donations are still being accepted.