Hilton Madero hosted the 11th Annual Solidarity Dinner of the River Plate Foundation. With the presence of major companies, former players, current players, and River Plate authorities, the gala raised $849,250,000 Argentine pesos to continue its educational and social programs.
Under the slogan “11 con vos”, (11 with you) the River Plate Foundation held its 11th Annual Solidarity Dinner. More than eighty-five companies and individuals, including players, former players, and authorities, came together for an evening to foster solidarity and support the work that the River Plate Foundation has been carrying out nationwide for 11 years. Always using sports and education as fundamental tools to provide a better future for girls and boys in vulnerable situations.
“Thank you all for joining us. This year, we have many new companies and personalities accompanying us, and it warms our hearts to know that we are growing. Tonight is “11 con vos”, and we refer to the team, and we want everyone to feel part of the Foundation, to feel proud of what we do every day, because if we are now a reference, if we have a methodology of education and work, of using football as a social tool, it is thanks to your contribution and help.” affirmed Clara D'Onofrio, president of the River Plate Foundation.
For his part, Jorge Brito, president of CARP, added at the opening: “I want to congratulate Clara D'Onofrio and the entire team for the great work they do. We have reached more than one hundred thousand people who have benefited from their daily
work. Thanks to everyone for their support, today's contribution allows us to reach more children, and more football schools throughout the interior.”
One of the current players, Franco Armani stated, “For us, it's a great honor and a pleasure to help, even during our busy preseason. Coming to share with all of you and contribute our grain of sand to the Foundation is very important.”
Throughout the dinner, Agostina Scalise and Mariano Iudica hosted the night, which was full of surprises. The most exciting moment was during the auctions, where different special guests also participated. Pedro Alfonso, in particular, took to the stage to add his humor to the moment. Items auctioned off included: a match with Legends at River Camp; signed shirts from the Libertadores round of 16 goals scored by Borja and Paulo Díaz; a framed shirt of the two-time American champions signed by Franco Armani, Germán Pezzella, and Marcos Acuña; a unique experience of traveling with the team to the interior of the country; and finally, an experience “you'll never forget”, the opportunity for children to walk onto the field with the players at El Más Monumental.
It was a night filled with emotions, with a single goal: to collaborate so that more girls and boys have opportunities on the playing field. In that sense, a record fundraising figure was reached: $849,250,000 Argentine pesos. This will allow the Foundation, during 2025, to continue its work of taking its educational, sports, and social programs to every corner of the country for the integral development of girls, boys, and young people, fostering values through sports, and more specifically with football as its key tool.
Matías Patanian, Ignacio Villarroel, Stefano Di Carlo, Rodolfo D’Onofrio, Leo Ponzio, Jonatan Maidana, Beto Alonso, and Pato Filliol participated in this monumental night and added their encouragement to the night's charity auctions. In addition, among the guests were: Rogelio Frigerio, Governor of Entre Ríos; Francisco de Narvaez; Germán Paolosky, host; Bernarda Cella and Luis Cella, founders of OLGA; Agustina Casanova, journalist; Eva Bargiela, model, among others.
Without a doubt, the moment that moved everyone was the testimonies of those who represent the values of the River Plate Foundation. From Villars, Club Unión Ferroviaria shared their experience with the River Plate Foundation adidas Award. This club
participated last year for a unique prize that allowed them to build the perimeter wall ofthe football field and have institutional strengthening support for a year. “The Foundation gave us hope back, they helped us build what is now a new field in an
abandoned area. Having won, we were able to fence in the field, and from there, a lot of doors opened for us. Today we dream of going for more, of lighting up our field so that we can extend training hours, we know it will be difficult, but we are going to work hard to achieve it.” added Alejandro ‘Chato’; Vidal, neighbor and member of the board of directors of the Club Unión Ferroviaria- Gral Las Heras.
Then, Santiago Espindola, a player from the club's 2008 youth category, and Joel Pensotti, a player from the 2009 category, who live at Casa River, joined the main stage and shared: “The neighborhood club is a family, where we learned, they taught us to
value the little things and the effort of our parents. Today, being at the club, living far from our families, it is important to have the Foundation, they accompany us. It is a space where we go to share when we miss our families, it is a place where we get away from football and get to know other places.”
To close the most emotional moment, the entire room went dark, only to be illuminated by the cell phones of all the guests. This demonstrated the importance of everyone being a team. At that moment, a mobile connection was established with the entire
town of Villars, and everyone experienced a unique moment together for the first time: the lighting of the field, the dream that the Villars club had held. “It's amazing, this is what we wanted, this allows us to use the field at other times, it is a beautiful dream”, Chato concluded, very excited.
Closing this unique night was Cruzando el Charco, the band from La Plata, who gifted allthe guests with their classic songs to end a night of pure joy.
The results achieved during these 11 years reaffirm the commitment of the River Plate Foundation, with a comprehensive and collective vision, that empowers clubs and communities with the goal of creating transformative and quality spaces.
Some of the results obtained during these 11 years of work:
● 109,114 people benefited, 9 educational, sports, and social programs.
● 297,035 kilometers traveled, spreading values across the country.
● 32,030 football and values training sessions, 5 fields built, and 7 football and values schools supported by the Foundation in five vulnerable neighborhoods in Greater Buenos Aires, Misiones, and Santiago del Estero.
● 106 editions of “Sin Fronteras”, 14 provinces visited, and 9 South American countries, an initiative that seeks to create bonds between clubs and countries, supporting the work of neighborhood clubs and social organizations where football is a powerful social tool.
● 9,617 leaders, coaches, and trainers and 2,087 neighborhood clubs trained at the School of Trainers.
● 22,800 dreams fulfilled for boys and girls who visited the Mâs Monumental Stadium and/or met the players of the team.
● 391 secondary school scholarship recipients and 79 university scholarship recipients, supported to encourage and promote their continuity in the educational system. 3,519 financial scholarships awarded in the “Jóvenes al Mundo” program.
● 4,648 food boxes delivered to families of children from Casa River and the CARP Youth Football categories.
● 1,367 food boxes delivered during the pandemic to families from “Valores a la Cancha”.
● 6 editions of the River Plate Foundation Award; 18 winning clubs and 5,371 beneficiaries.
● 16 editions of “Entrenándome para la Vida” with 6,836 participants.
● 1st International Congress of Football for Inclusion and Development, 49 participating clubs, 14 countries, and 278 participants.
● Recognitions: from UEFA Foundation and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands for the “Valores a la Cancha” program.
The River Plate Foundation continues to work with the desire to further expand its programs nationwide and reinforce its commitment to education and sports in childhood.
