Visit of Mr. Frank Franke, President and CEO of WINGS OF HELP to reinforce the cooperation with THE SMILE OF THE CHILD and honor the contribution of DHL EXPRESS HELLAS
07 August 2020
PRESS RELEASE
Athens, 7 August 2020
Visit of Mr. Frank Franke, President and CEO of WINGS OF HELP to reinforce the cooperation with THE SMILE OF THE CHILD and honor the contribution of DHL EXPRESS HELLAS
On Wednesday 5 August 2020 Mr. Frank Franke, President and CEO of the German Foundation “Luftfahrt ohne Grenzen e.V. - Wings of Help” traveled to Greece to meet Mr. Costas Yannopoulos, President of the Organization "The Smile of the Child" and Mr. Eleftherios Samaras, CEO of “DHL Express” in Greece, Cyprus and Malta, to discuss ways to expand their cooperation. In appreciation of his contribution, Mr. Samaras received a honorary plaque from Mr. Franke and Mr. Yannopoulos.
The meeting took place at the “Support Center for Children and Families” that "The Smile of the Child" operates with the valuable support of LIDL at Nea Makri. Mr. Franke was given a tour around the Center's facilities and noted that he once again he got impressed by the logistics management, the operational readiness, and especially the care with which "The Smile of the Child" surrounds every child in need in Greece.
Mr. Franke stated: "I deeply admire the work of “The Smile of the Child” and I have full confidence in its President, Mr. Costas Giannopoulos. In addition to our common vision, we are connected by bonds of deep friendship. Every time I visit "The Smile of the Child", I draw ideas for the international charity work of “Wings of Help”. I am visiting Greece again to meet Mr. Giannopoulos, to thank Mr. Samaras, but also to start editing a documentary about "The Smile of the Child" and its President, Mr. Costas Yannopoulos. The exemplary work of the Organization represents a model to be replicated abroad. I am proud to contribute to its crucial work both by sending aid through our Foundation, as well as by personally creating awareness and promoting its activities.”
Since the beginning of 2020, "Wings of Help" has carried out three large humanitarian aid missions from Germany to support the work of the Organization with basic necessities, as well as clothing and footwear. The summer mission included state-of-the-art laptops to support the operation of the “Smile Academy”. The Academy has been established by “The Smile of the Child” to facilitate distant learning and psychological support to children and students with the kind support of teacher volunteers and employee psychologists, through the innovative YouLearn Online Learning Platform. The initiative is generously supported by CISCO.
The transfer of the products from Germany and their delivery throughout Greece is made possible with the generous support of DHL Express. Mr. Franke and Mr. Yannopoulos awarded a honorary plaque to extend their gratitude to Mr. Eleftherios Samaras, CEO of DHL Express in Greece, Cyprus and Malta.
DHL Express Hellas contributes substantially to the common vision for the active support of the Rights of the Child in Greece, through the dynamic participation in solving the daily needs of families who are experiencing serious living problems and are unable to meet the basic needs of their children.
"The Smile of the Child" and "Wings of Help" signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in 2018, and since then have been working closely together to meet the needs of children and families in Greece, through the provision of basic necessities. "The Smile of the Child" retains the responsibility to ensure the quality of products sent by containers from "Wings of Help", as well as the proper storage, safe management and distribution of items to families through its nationwide network.
A few words about "Wings of Help"
Luftfahrt ohne Grenzen e.V. - “Wings of Help” spreads its wings to offer help to people in need around the world, with a special emphasis on children. The Foundation has been committed to this humanitarian cause for more than 15 years, in collaboration with Organizations from France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom and Finland. It is based at the Frankfurt International Airport and its activities include among others, providing assistance in cases of natural or other disasters, humanitarian crises, as well as emergency medical transports from countries around the world to Germany.
For more information please contact
"The Smile of the Child"
International Press office
Tel. +30 210-3306140
intpress@hamogelo.gr
