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Volkswagen Workers Foundation extends partnership with Operation Get Active
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The donation will support its programmes promoting health and leadership skills for inner city youth.

The Volkswagen Workers Foundation has extended its partnership with the Chattanooga Football Club Foundation and the Operation Get Active (OGA) initiative with a $200,000 donation. The check was handed over during the Chattanooga Football Club soccer game on Saturday by German national soccer player Marcel Schaefer, and members of the Board of the Volkswagen Workers Foundation, Scott Wilson, and Catharina Mette.  

OGA is a health initiative that uses the game of soccer to encourage youth to live active and healthy lifestyles and is a programme of the Chattanooga Football Club Foundation. In addition to improving children's physical activity, there is also a strong focus on developing teamwork and leadership.  

"The funding we have received from the Volkswagen Workers Foundation has enabled us to reach over 1,500 children and with the announcement of this continued and increased funding, even more children in our community will have opportunity to participate in our soccer programme across Chattanooga, and ultimately increase their weekly physical activity levels.,” said Peter Woolcock, Director of Operation Get Active.   

 “Operation Get Active has come so far in just a year since launching and has extraordinary potential; our big-picture goal is to be able to offer Operation Get Active as an after school activity in every single elementary school and City of Chattanooga Youth and Family Development (YFD) centres across Hamilton County, and beyond. With such generous support from Volkswagen Workers Foundation, this goal could become a reality very soon.” Woolcock said. 

Spring 2017 was OGA’s largest engagement. 10 elementary schools and eight YFD centres participated in the programme. OGA’s team of 20 coaches instructed over 300 youth participants during the spring season alone. OGA is now operating its summer programme at 10 YFD centres, with plans to expand to even more locations in the fall. 

First and foremost, I would like to express my gratitude towards our colleagues in Germany for their generous contribution to our Chattanooga project,” said Matthias Erb, President of Volkswagen Workers Foundation, Inc. “After the first year of the Volkswagen Workers Foundation’s charitable work in the United States, I am proud that we have been able to contribute to Operation Get Active’s success. Thanks to Peter Woolcock and his team of coaches, the CFC Foundation, and our partners at the City of Chattanooga and Hamilton County, Operation Get Active reached over 1,500 children. I would like to thank Peter for his leadership and service to the community. I am looking forward to our extended partnership here in Chattanooga.” Erb said. 

The Volkswagen Workers Foundation, a charitable non-profit organisation, is the American branch of the Volkswagen Employee Foundation, a German non-profit organisation that supports the education of children and young adults through improvement of their living conditions. 

  • The full press release is available here

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