Press Release

Press Release | Berlin/Gütersloh, 04/09/2018

Liz Mohn and Bertelsmann Host ‘Rosenball 2018’ Charity Ball for German Stroke Foundation

  • Iconic musicians Bryan Ferry and Marius Müller-Westernhagen to perform live at the event
  • Some 600 guests expected in the Grand Ballroom of the Berlin InterContinental Hotel
  • 25 Years of the German Stroke Foundation

When Liz Mohn founded the German Stroke Foundation 25 years ago, stroke was still a bit of an afterthought in the medical community. Today, knowledge about its prevention and what to do in case of an emergency is widespread. Acute care has also improved significantly, thanks to hundreds of special stroke units in hospitals. To ensure that this success story continues, Liz Mohn, President of the German Stroke Foundation, and the international media, services and education company Bertelsmann are once again hosting the Rosenball in Berlin on Saturday, May 5, 2018. The donations generated from the glamorous charity gala will primarily be used for improved aftercare. This includes projects such as “stroke guides,” voluntary stroke helpers, and innovative self-help groups that facilitate the return to normal life for stroke sufferers.

Around 600 well-known guests from politics, business, society and culture are expected at the Rosenball in the Grand Ballroom of the Berlin Intercontinental hotel. Two music icons await them, who will pull out all the stops to create an unforgettable evening for the guests: Bryan Ferry (“Don't Stop the Dance,” Slave To Love“) and Marius Müller-Westernhagen (“Freiheit,” “Sexy”) will perform live. Bryan Ferry, an artist signed with Bertelsmann's music subsidiary BMG, celebrated immediate and sensational success in the early 1970s with his group Roxy Music, and has taken his place as one of the most iconic and innovative singers and lyricists in popular music. Marius Müller-Westernhagen has been a singer/songwriter and producer for over fifty years and is one of Germany's most successful artists, having sold approximately 16 million records to date.

The Rosenball will open with Patricia Kelly singing a ballad while video portraits of 25 prominent and 25 non-prominent stroke sufferers recall the stories of patients, and the Stroke Foundation’s efforts over the past 25 years. In between a four-course menu and the program highlights, Tom Gaebel & His Orchestra will invite guests to dance through the night. The evening will be emceed by Frauke Ludowig and Guido Maria Kretschmer – both ambassadors of the German Stroke Foundation.

Each year, an estimated 270,000 people in Germany suffer a stroke. Most of them are elderly, but young people and even small children are also affected. Strokes are the most common cause of disability in adulthood.

Since 1993, the German Stroke Foundation has been working nationwide to promote stroke prevention and education about risk factors, and to improve care for stroke patients. The establishment of more than 300 stroke units – specialized wards in hospitals for the initial treatment of stroke patients, certified by the foundation – has made a major contribution to considerably increasing the chances of survival after a stroke. The Foundation offers advice and assistance to patients and their relatives and supports advanced training in relevant medical professions. It initiated the deployment of “stroke guides,” who provide sufferers with advice and help in organizing rehabilitation, aids, and other support services. Across Germany, around 450 self-help groups have been set up in which people talk openly about the condition, support and help each other, and pass on their knowledge about rehabilitation measures. Many volunteer regional representatives also advise patients and their families.

Through numerous campaigns and personal initiatives such as the Rosenball, over the past 25 years Liz Mohn has succeeded in raising public awareness of strokes and conveying the key message: “Every stroke is an emergency!”

About Bertelsmann
Bertelsmann is a media, services and education company that operates in about 50 countries around the world. It includes the broadcaster RTL Group, the trade book publisher Penguin Random House, the magazine publisher Gruner + Jahr, the music company BMG, the service provider Arvato, the Bertelsmann Printing Group, the Bertelsmann Education Group and Bertelsmann Investments, an international network of funds. The company has 119,000 employees and generated revenues of €17.2 billion in the 2017 financial year. Bertelsmann stands for entrepreneurship and creativity. This combination promotes first-class media content and innovative service solutions that inspire customers around the world.

About the German Stroke Foundation
Each year, close to 270,000 people in Germany suffer a stroke. Stroke is the third leading cause of death in Germany, and the most common cause of disability in adulthood. The German Stroke Foundation was founded by Liz Mohn in 1993. Independent and devoted to the common good, it is dedicated to its constitutional mandate to prevent strokes and contribute to improving the care of stroke patients. It develops innovative treatment concepts and makes an important contribution to improving the quality of care by issuing certifications for special stroke units. Approximately 200 doctors volunteer their time to support the awareness-building and information efforts of the Foundation, under whose umbrella more than 450 stroke support groups have also been set up nationwide.