Taking responsibility with heart! For us, this is not only a desirable trait on the court. FC Bayern Basketball also takes responsibility off the court, for the community in its city and for the people in the Munich metropolitan area. Marko Pesic, managing director of FCBB, explains: “A project like HELPSIDE is important because our job is not only to delight people with basketball and results, but also to get involved in social causes and fulfill our social responsibility.”
Since 2019, FCBB has been bundling its social and community involvement under the title “FCBB Helpside.” Since then, and even before, wonderful partnerships and collaborations have been formed with organizations that are exemplary in their social and societal engagement in and around Munich. FC Bayern Basketball is proud to be part of this work through “FCBB Helpside” and to support this work wherever it can.
Why HELPSIDE?
HELPSIDE is the be-all and end-all of defense in basketball: helping your teammates when they need support on defense – something every young talent learns early on at FCBB.
FCBB HELPSIDE is committed to helping those in society who urgently need assistance, to promoting inclusion, to supporting young talent in our city – and to creating a diverse, colorful Munich.
Because the office, the players, and the coaches—in other words, the entire FCBB family—are aware of their responsibility even off the basketball court. They therefore want to support those who need help or who would appreciate a change in their everyday lives.
Click here for the Sideline Story “FCBB Helpside”:
OUR COOPERATION PROJECTS
Bellevue di Monaco
For the 2022/23 season, Bellevue di Monaco became an Oneteam partner of FC Bayern Basketball. “ONE TEAM” is the EuroLeague's corporate social responsibility project in cooperation with all EuroLeague and EuroCup clubs. The aim of the program is to use basketball to promote greater integration and further positive changes in society. The program was launched in February 2012 and can therefore look back on over ten years of social commitment. From 2017 to 2022, FC Bayern Basketball supported Offene Behindertenarbeit München (Open Disability Work Munich) as a One Team project.
The core of the program is a weekly training session at BMW Park for people with and without refugee backgrounds to learn and play basketball together. In addition, there are joint activities such as visits to and participation in FCBB home games.
Bellevue di Monaco is a residential and cultural center for refugees and interested Munich residents in the heart of the city. Bellevue di Monaco serves as a place of residence for over 40 people and as a contact point for refugees seeking advice and support in learning the language or vocational training. It also offers a wide range of training courses and workshops.
AMBULANTES KINDERHOSPIZ MÜNCHEN (AKM)
Since February 2015, FCBB has been an official partner of the Ambulantes Kinderhospiz München (AKM) foundation. This non-profit organization supports families with terminally ill and critically ill unborn babies, newborns, children, adolescents, and young adults in Munich and throughout Bavaria. The team of full-time doctors, psychologists, nurses, and social workers is supported by around 180 volunteers in the areas of crisis intervention and family and bereavement counseling. The aim is to provide support to sick children and adolescents, as well as their relatives, during difficult times and to give them moments of security, comfort, and normality.
OFFENE BEHINDERTEN ARBEIT MÜNCHEN (OBA)
From late 2017 to summer 2022, FCBB collaborated with Offene Behindertenarbeit München (OBA) as part of the EuroLeague's “ONE TEAM” project. Since the 2022/23 season, various activities have been taking place with OBA as a Helpside partner.
OBA is an institution of the Evangelical Lutheran Deanery of Munich. It organizes a wide range of leisure, educational, counseling, and travel opportunities for and with people with learning difficulties.
OBA athletes are also part of the Special Olympics initiative supported by FCBB.
The OBA's programs for children, young people, adults, and seniors are designed so that people with and without disabilities can participate on an equal footing. The goals are self-determination, individual leisure activities, and participation in social life for all people, as well as the strengthening of an inclusive society.
Info: www.oba-muenchen.de
DEIN MÜNCHEN
Since February 2019, FCBB has been supporting the objectives of DEIN MÜNCHEN as an official cooperation partner. The non-profit organization is committed to helping disadvantaged children and young people in Munich and provides sustainable, unbureaucratic, and free access to education, culture, and sports.
DEIN MÜNCHEN picks up where schools, parents, and municipal institutions reach their limits.
The goal is to integrate young people on the margins of society and involve them in a sustainable way. The associated learning and discovery of opportunities not only lead to personal development and an improved quality of life, but also to identification with society. All children should grow up feeling that the world is open to them and that they can achieve anything they set their minds to, regardless of their background.
Specifically, FCBB HELPSIDE gives children and young people the opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look at FCBB, participate in workshops, and get involved themselves. This includes active participation in the TV magazine format, including the creation of their own magazine video contributions. In this context, they not only learn how to use the camera, but also the necessary interview techniques. FCBB is also a regular participant in the “No Limits” project.
Info: www.dein-muenchen.org
Photo: Andreas Reiter Photography
THERESE GIEHSE SECONDARY SCHOOL
SCHOOL WITHOUT RACISM – SCHOOL WITH COURAGE
Since May 2021, FCBB has been the proud sponsor of Therese-Giehse-Realschule in Unterschleißheim, which successfully applied for the title “School without Racism – School with Courage.” Through joint workshops and mutual exchange of experiences, FCBB aims to exemplify and convey the values of tolerance, cosmopolitanism, and diversity to the students, while at the same time taking a clear stand against any form of racism.
MÜNCHNER TAFEL
Since 2016, the team and staff have been visiting selected Münchner Tafel distribution centers on a regular basis to support the volunteer work. An even more intensive collaboration developed in the spring of 2020 during the first coronavirus lockdown, when FCBB players and staff volunteered at the distribution center on a daily basis.
OUR INITIATIVES
In addition to its cooperation partners, FCBB HELPSIDE also supports other social institutions and organizations. On game days at the Audi Dome, collection campaigns (clothing, food, etc.) are regularly held to benefit people in need in Munich. Partners in these campaigns have included the Munich Railway Station Mission's homeless assistance program, Diakonia Munich, and “Christmas on the Street.”
Typing campaigns in the fight against blood cancer are also regularly organized in cooperation with the German Bone Marrow Donor Registry (DKMS) and the Arbeiter Samariter Bund (ASB) during home games.
Through various charity events, FCBB collects donations for the Schwabing Children's Hospital Foundation, among others.
Whether right on their doorstep in Munich's Westpark or on the busy banks of the Isar, FCBB players and staff regularly lend a hand to keep the environment clean. Through joint litter collection campaigns, FCBB aims to draw attention to a major challenge on a small scale – a clean environment and the responsibility of each individual to maintain it.
Contact:
Andrea Dehaeck - andrea.dehaeck@fcbayern.com