24 Hours of Le Mans: Porsche rounds up donation sum significantly
Kinderherzen retten and Interplast Germany each receive 350,000 euros
211,000 euros go to the Ferry Porsche Foundation for further aid projects
Works cars raise 620,000 euros after 833 laps in Le Mans
Porsche underlines its charitable commitment in motorsport
The three Porsche 963 fielded by the Porsche Penske Motorsport works team turned a total of 833 laps at the 24 Hours of Le Mans last weekend (15/16 June). For each lap of the 13.626-kilometre Circuit des 24 Heures, Porsche donated 750 euros to support seriously ill children as part of its “Racing for Charity” initiative. This added up to 624,750 euros during the endurance classic in France. Porsche has subsequently topped up the donated amount to 911,000 euros.
This year, Porsche once again gifts the entire donation sum to three charitable initiatives. The registered associations Kinderherzen retten (Save Children’s Hearts) and Interplast Germany will each receive 350,000 euros from the funds raised. The Ferry Porsche Foundation will be given 211,000 euros towards further initiatives to support sick children and their families.
“Our ‘Racing for Charity’ initiative was a big success in 2023. For the first time, we were able to clearly underline the company’s social responsibility in motorsport,” explains Michael Steiner, Member of the Executive Board of Porsche AG, Research and Development. “The positive feedback from the supported organisations on the aid measures they were able to administer motivated us to continue this initiative in 2024. Our three works-run racing cars turned 100 laps more than last year – this is equivalent to a donation amount of 624,750 euros. Porsche will again round this figure up to 911,000 euros. With our support, the three non-profit initiatives Kinderherzen retten e.V., Interplast Germany e.V. and the Ferry Porsche Foundation can continue their vital work. Motorsport is a central part of Porsche’s brand identity but ultimately it is the people who deserve our respect and acknowledgment beyond the factory gates.”
Porsche has always seen itself as part of society and faces up to the social responsibility that comes with it. People take priority. Porsche is committed to many non-profit initiatives and concentrates on sustainable projects in the five core areas of sport, culture, environment, and social issues as well as education and science. In 2023, Porsche contributed to more than 150 sponsorship projects around the world.
Prof. Friedhelm Beyersdorf, Founder of Kinderherzen retten e.V.: “Our sincere thanks to Porsche for its terrific ‘Racing for Charity’ initiative. We’re very pleased and grateful that Kinderherzen retten e. V. was again selected as one of the donation recipients this year. Above all, it’s fantastic for the kids! This donation means we can provide cardio-surgical procedures at the University Hospital in Freiburg for children who would otherwise have had little chance of survival and give them a healthy life.”
Prof. Jürgen Dolderer, Board Member of Interplast Germany e. V.: “Many thanks to Porsche for the tremendous support. It enables us to carry out life-changing medical interventions through reconstructive plastic surgery in developing countries. Our goal is to give the children there a better future and, above all, a better quality of life. Thanks to the generous support, we can carry out further missions in Africa, South America and Asia to assist even more children and sustainably improve their quality of life.”
Dr Sebastian Rudolph, Chairman of the Board of the Ferry Porsche Foundation: “We’re delighted to be part of the ‘Racing for Charity’ initiative again. Many families with seriously ill children face enormous challenges. Our goal at the Ferry Porsche Foundation is to support those affected and give them relief and hope in their everyday lives. Thanks to the donation, these families can enjoy some lighter moments of fun and relaxation despite the difficult circumstances."
Thanks to the 2023 “Racing for Charity” donations, the Kinderherzen retten e.V. association made it possible for twelve young people from El Salvador, Syria, Albania and Afghanistan to undergo successful and life-saving heart surgery at the University of Freiburg Medical Hospital. Interplast Germany e.V. used the donations for medical missions in Tanzania and Mozambique, among other places, to provide critical aid. The Ferry Porsche Foundation supported many seriously ill children and their families.
