€55,000 for the good cause

On 20 April 2012, RTL Group’s 8th Télévie Challenge kicked off in Luxembourg. Eight hours of solidarity later, pedalling non-stop for the benefit of cancer and leukaemia research, the 400 participants had raised €55,000.

For the eight years that the Télévie Challenge has been in existence, RTL Group employees have known why they are pedalling: this modern scourge touches every single one of us – directly or indirectly. Each year 2,000 adults and children in Luxembourg face the diagnosis of cancer, and one in four people succumb to it. Although scientific research in the Grand Duchy has progressed considerably in recent years (three in five cancers are curable), too many people still die of the disease.

Recognising how crucial the issue of research is, 400 participants and 33 teams set off to convert as many kilometres as possible into euros. Once again this year RTL Group donated €5 per kilometre. The result: by pedalling 8,520 kilometres, the participants raised €42,600. A sale of corporate gifts organised by RTL Group contributed a further €3,515. RTL Group then generously rounded up the total sum to €55,000.

Elmar Heggen, CFO and Head of RTL Group Corporate Centre in Luxembourg: "The Télévie Challenge is now part of the corporate culture of RTL Group in Luxembourg and many employees wouldn’t miss it under any circumstances. Every year I look forward to seeing the enthusiasm of our teams for this noble cause.”

Athletic or less athletic, family, friends and VIPs did their bit together cheerfully and with a lot of team spirit. This year’s VIPs included Jean-Marie Halsdorf (Minister of Defence and Interior), Mars di Bartolomeo (Health Minister), Jean-Paul Zens (Government Commissioner), the Mayor of Luxembourg Xavier Bettel, Claudia Victoria Müller (Miss Luxembourg 2012), Scorssery-Philippe von Knobelsdorf (Mister Luxembourg 2012) and many others who took turns every half hour from noon to 20:00.

The closing ceremony of the 11th Luxembourg Télévie was aired on RTL Lëtzebuerg on Saturday 21 April. Elmar Heggen himself handed over the Télévie Challenge cheque, which will be donated to the association. More information about the Télévie Challenge is available on the event’s website: http://www.rtlgroup.com/televie/htm/en/televie.aspx