Successful 'Class Charity Project' of the first ESSEC & MANNHEIM Weekend Executive MBA class

With several activities at the Harder13 Cup in the SAP Arena, MBA students of the Mannheim Business School supported the German Leukaemia Research Foundation (Deutsche Leukämie-Forschungs-Hilfe), and children suffering from cancer. Donations totalling 10,000 Euros were gathered.
The team project was in the scope of the ESSEC & MANNHEIM Weekend Executive MBA program.

It was his biggest appearance and the kind of honour that's normally only bestowed on the players of 1. FC Kaiserslautern in victory: hand in hand with former German national football player Mario Basler and in a brand new shirt, signed by the entire Kaiserslautern squad, 8 year old Nils from the town of Gommersheim in the Palatinate area of Germany, stood in front of the main stand and got a rousing cheer. For this young football fan, who's suffering from cancer, and who was also able to watch his idols play in both a training session and a match, this was an unforgettable moment and the fulfilment of a long-cherished dream.

It was all made possible in the scope of an unusual project by 19 MBA students from the first class of the ESSEC & MANNHEIM Weekend Executive MBA program at the Mannheim Business School. In the scope of the "Harder13 Cup" indoor football competition in the Mannheim SAP Arena, they got involved in several activities with a single goal: providing moral and financial support to the Deutsche Leukämie-Forschungs-Hilfe (DLFH) (German Leukaemia Research Foundation) and children who are suffering from cancer.

The 'top-managers of the future' from Mannheim collected 10,000 Euros at the event. As well as the donations from companies and businesses, many of the 12,500 spectators at the sold-out SAP Arena also made a contribution to the good cause. The money is to directly benefit children suffering from cancer. With the DLFH 'wish box', just like 8 year old Nils, yet more young patients from the Mannheim Children's Cancer Ward should see one of their heart's desires fulfilled. The range of gifts stretches from a journey in a hot air balloon to a Barbie doll.

The so-called 'Class Project' is a key component of the Mannheim MBA course. Yet if they are normally grappling with problems that relate to the world of business, the first course of the Weekend MBA, which started in March 2006, focused on a charitable project. "The 'Harder13 Cup' provided us with the ideal framework", explains course participant Dr. Stephan Fischer. And so, over the last few months, the MBA students, who are on average able to draw on more than ten years of professional experience, and work (among other areas) as product managers, development engineers and laboratory managers, come from seven different countries and are completing their studies over a 14 day cycle on weekends whilst continuing to work, have marketed VIP box packages, touchline advertisements and admission tickets, have organised a raffle and the collection of donations on the day of the tournament, as well as securing the support of businesses. In addition, two VIP boxes were reserved for children suffering from cancer and their families. "The project was a brand new experience for all of us, since 19 colleagues had firstly to learn how to locate a problem and then to solve it without any central management. The fact that this also served a good cause was the icing on the cake at the end of a really exciting time", added Dr. Fischer.