Steffi Graf Foundation: Healing Childhood Trauma

Top athletes also use their celebrity to help raise money for integration, health prevention or support for the socially disadvantaged.

Steffi Graf Stiftung „Children for Tomorrow“

The tennis legend helps children who have become victims of war, persecution and violence. When she founded her foundation, there were 40 million refugees worldwide. At that time, your refugee outpatient clinic in Hamburg was a small outpatient clinic with four therapists and many families came from Kosovo and Africa. At the time, it was the only facility with a focus on helping war-traumatized children and their families.

“Today,” says Steffi Graf, “over 120 million people are on the run – and there is no end in sight. The demand for therapy places is so great that we have employed therapists at the foundation for several years and go directly to schools with our operational project HonigHelden!.” There, behavioral therapies and art therapies take place for the children in a weekly individual setting. Parents and teachers are also involved in these appointments.

Mental health is the basic basis for their integration. As long as the children suffer from their trauma, the war will continue for them. They don’t find peace, they have difficulty learning the language, they mistrust people, they have problems making friends and concentrating at school. Only when they have processed the experiences can they stabilize and get involved in their new life. The risks are high: a traumatic event before the age of 11 increases the likelihood of developing mental illness three times. Graf: “That’s why we wanted to reach young children in particular, so that their suffering doesn’t become chronic and their trauma catches up with them later as teenagers.”

Although Graf lives in America, she is often in Hamburg to get an idea of ​​her projects and to continually expand her help. She would like to establish collaborations with established therapists or plan seats at school locations in order to bring the health system on board and improve the therapeutic care of these children. And she also wants her project to be established not only in Hamburg, but also in other cities.

▸ Steffi Graf Stiftung „CHILDREN FOR TOMORROW“

• https://www.children-for-tomorrow.com/die-stiftung/
• Founded in 1998
• Donation account:
• Children for Tomorrow
• Deutsche Bank AG, Hamburg
• IBAN: DE49 2007 0000 0070 7000 00
• Swift Code: DEUTDEHHXXX

Michael Schumacher Foundation: “Keep Fighting Foundation”

The globally active “Keep Fighting Foundation” was founded by the family of Michael Schumacher. Just as the seven-time Formula 1 world champion inspired others over many years, the family felt empowered by the compassion and positive energy shown to them after his serious accident in December 2013. “We want to give the positive energy that Michael and we as a family have received for so many years back to the people who sent it out,” says Schumacher’s wife Corinna.

The Foundation’s charitable purposes include projects in culture, education, science and public health as well as non-public projects in the field of regenerative or preventative neuroscience. With the support of the Foundation, the Institut du Cerveau (Paris Brain Institute – ICM) has become a leading research center that brings together clinicians and scientists to understand the mechanisms of the brain and its pathologies and to prevent or cure neurological and psychiatric diseases.

A key project is also supporting the United Nations Road Safety Fund, which was set up for developing countries to reduce the number of deaths and injuries caused by road accidents and to reduce the economic losses caused by these accidents. In recent years, the foundation has donated several thousand helmets that meet UN safety standards, are comfortable to wear in hot and humid climates, and cost no more than $20. This innovative helmet is intended to make an important contribution to reducing motorcycle accidents.

▸ Michael Schumacher Stiftung „Keep Fighting“

• https://www.keepfightingfoundation.org/de
• Founded in 2017
• Donation account:
• Keep Fighting Foundation
• Sparkasse on Volme and Ruhr
• DE74 4505 0001 0000 4177 74

Katharina Witt Foundation “Moving more together”

The former figure skater has been supporting a wide range of projects for children and young people with physical disabilities for more than 20 years. The two-time Olympic champion also supports social initiatives for inclusion, medical emergencies and disaster relief. She also works internationally. It started with support for the German-Indian Children’s Fund and help for landmine victims. Since then, a lot has happened in keeping with the foundation’s motto “move more together.”

Witt says: “I would like to encourage and specifically help those who are physically disabled – be it due to an accident, a natural disaster or for other reasons. I would like to give these people who are not fortunate enough as much mobility and therefore independence and joy of life as possible and make their difficult everyday life a little easier.”

Among those receiving funding are numerous clubs that prepare their athletes for the Special Olympics in both summer and winter. “That’s why I know very well what a vital factor sport is for people with mental and multiple disabilities, and I’ve seen countless times how seriously, eagerly and proudly they dedicate themselves to training and competition. You always have to slow them down in their drive, although you get the impression that their handicaps don’t seem to play a role,” says Witt. She supports special schools in building barrier-free playgrounds, buys wheelchairs, is a big supporter and fan of WCMX – wheelchair skating.

▸ Katarina Witt Foundation “Moving more together”

• https://www.katarina-witt-stiftung.de/stiftung.html
• Founded in 2005
• Donation account:
• Katarina Witt Foundation
• non-profit GmbH
• Bank for Social Economy
• IBAN: DE64251205100008496001
• BIC: BFSWDE33HAN

Sven Hannawald Foundation

It is important to the first ski jumper with four daily victories at the Four Hills Tournament that he passes on to others the support he received in sport as a child and after his burnout. His burnout led to him having to end his career early and, as a result, setting up his foundation. It is dedicated to the promotion of young ski jumpers as well as health and health care, especially in the area of ​​prevention and healing of mental illnesses.

It is important for Hannawald to draw attention to the taboo nature of these sufferings. “This is the only way we can make society aware of this,” says the 51-year-old, who is also an ambassador for the nationwide “Mental Health” campaign. He combines this with the constant hope that “there is a person in the audience who is affected by this themselves and who, through my performance, will have the courage to find the right path.”

A problem is the constant accessibility through smartphones and the flood of information caused by digitalization: “Work is always and everywhere, and that is what makes you sick.” In the previous year, burnouts also caused the most days of absence in the local working world. The sick usually need help in a clinic. But for those with statutory health insurance, this often means long waiting times. “It’s very serious. I want to maintain the possibility that people who can’t manage it themselves can go to a clinic,” says Hannawald. “I saw from my own example how important this opportunity was.”

▸ Sven Hannawald Foundation

• https://www.sven-hannawald-stiftung.de
• Founded in 2016
• Donation account:
• Stadtsparkasse Munich
• IBAN: DE50 7015 0000 1005 3450 02
• BIC: SSKMDEMMXXX

Michael Stich Foundation

The basic idea of ​​the former tennis star to create a foundation was to give laughter to children whose everyday lives are limited by HIV and AIDS. That concern, coupled with the desire to provide those affected with carefree moments of joy, whether through his own projects or joint activities and events, is still his main motivation after three decades.

Stich, 57, receives nationwide support from AIDS charities, HIV outpatient clinics at university children’s hospitals, health authorities and charitable institutions. This meant that several million euros were passed on to affected children and their families. The foundation of the Wimbledon champion (1991) and Olympic champion (1992) supports both through concrete aid measures and through the financing of psychosocial care – and always while maintaining the anonymity of those affected.

A basic problem then, as now, is that people with HIV are very often excluded and shunned by society. That’s why Stich demands: “We all have to face the issue together. Only then will we be able to help ensure that we treat all people equally and understand that people with HIV are no different, but are people like you and me.”

There is still no cure for the disease, but it is now very easy to treat. “Medicine has made incredible progress and ensured that people with HIV can live very long lives,” says Stich. “They can start families and have children. We’ve experienced that and it fills my team and I with great gratitude to help make their lives a little easier.”

▸ Michael Stich Foundation

• https://www.michael-stich-stiftung.de
• Founded in 1994
• Donation account:
• Michael Stich Foundation, Hamburger Sparkasse, IBAN: DE22 2005 0550 1280 3737 37, BIC: HASPDEHHXXX

Magdalena Neuner “Peak Performer Foundation”

The former biathlon star acts as patron of the foundation, which aims to give young people more joy in performance. Top athletes such as the Olympic weightlifting champion Matthias Steiner, the professional mountaineers Thomas and Alexander Huber, the handball world champion Dominik Klein, the former football professionals Sven Bender and Lars Bender and other former top athletes are among the founding members.

In kids camps lasting several days, the basic values ​​for achieving top performance are passed on to children and young people. “We are firmly convinced that the future of our future generations in Central Europe will depend on whether there are enough people who want to achieve something,” emphasizes Neuner and at the same time asks the question: “How do we contribute to ensuring that the progress and prosperity of the future arises not only in Asia and America, but also in Central Europe?” Your answer: “In competition with other economic areas, the basic attitude is the deciding factor: lifelong learning, dealing with mistakes, wanting to move forward on your own initiative and perseverance are important basic values ​​of today’s peak performers.”

An important aspect of the foundation, founded by 39 top performers from sports and business, is the idea of ​​being a role model. She wants to use the power of idols. The combination of world-class athletes and protagonists from business, such as Dr. Christian Grams, managing director of a consulting company, and Alexander Penzkofer, a building contractor, are intended to inspire children and young people in a playful way that it is worth wanting to get ahead. That performance is worth it. That performing is fun and gives us meaning.

▸ Magdalena Neuner “Peak Performer Foundation”

• https://www.peak-performer-stiftung.de
• Founded in 2020
• Donation account:
• Peak Performer Stiftung
• DONNER & REUSCHEL Aktiengesellschaft
• IBAN: DE89 2003 0300 0015 1100 00