Carlos Alcaraz is not the only winner of the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell tournament. So are the three charitable entities and NGOs that the bank chaired by Josep Oliu chooses each year to distribute the money raised through the already traditional solidarity aces initiative. This is money that the bank donates for the aces or direct serve points recorded in all matches played this past week in the emblematic competition of the Real Club de Tenis Barcelona.
This year, the aces of the Conde de Godó trophy have raised 21,000 euros, a figure that adds to the 320,000 euros that have been distributed since 2008, when Banco Sabadell began sponsoring the tournament. In total, more than 40 solidarity entities have benefited. This year, the 21,000 euros have been distributed, in equal parts, among the Benito Menni Foundation, the Tennis Barcelona Foundation and KickOutPlastic, an NGO that fights for a world free of single-use plastics led by Lars Böcking.
The Benito Menni Foundation, promoted by the Hospital Sisters, works to guarantee the right to mental health in disadvantaged countries and will allocate the 7,000 euros raised to its programs in India and Africa. For its part, the Tennis Barcelona Foundation was born at the end of 2019 to help, through the practice of this sport, young people at risk of social exclusion. The entity offers free weekly tennis classes to young people from different neighborhoods of Barcelona, in coordination with Cáritas. In addition to providing monitors and all the necessary material, it also offers a healthy snack to each of the participants in its programs.
In parallel to this initiative, Banco Sabadell has launched a campaign to support the Red Cross to help Ukrainian refugee families who have arrived in Spain. The entity has already delivered a first check of 500,000 euros to this international organization and has also started to raise money among its employees and clients. Sabadell's objective is to contribute to the Red Cross the same amount that has been raised through private contributions, up to a total contribution of 1,500,000 euros. "With this agreement, Banco Sabadell, in line with its social commitment and human rights, joins the humanitarian aid that Ukrainian refugees so desperately need at this time," says César González-Bueno, CEO of the entity.