A few days ago, stars from the world of football and extreme sports gathered at the Royal Golf of Mougins. The goal of the operation was to raise funds for the sick children at Lenval Hospital.
It all started many years ago. At the age of 13, Jérôme Alonzo was invited to a competition as a simple athlete. It was then that he met Eric Duquesne, the founder of White Balls Paris. A strong friendship was born between them, as well as with Nathalie (his counterpart in effort).
From that moment on, the White Balls project truly came to life. It became the successor of White Balls Paris. Smaller in scale, the project welcomes about a hundred people and has been running for nearly 4 years at the Royal Golf of Mougins. Last year, the Royal White Balls project managed to raise 25,000 euros, enough to finance the heart of the maternity ward at Lenval Hospital. The project is primarily aimed at improving the well-being of hospitalized children. Today, the maternity ward accommodates 36 children aged 0 to 3 years.
This year, the challenge is even greater. The goal: to exceed the previous record of 25,000 euros in donations to reach a total of 30,000.
Yes, but how?
To succeed in his project, Jérôme Alonzo surrounded himself with 5 or 6 people. With them, he sets up the project. Bringing in stars, he says: “it’s easy, they are friends… but well, they have to be available.” The preparation is mostly “upfront” for Jérôme. By this, he means: “taking care of everything (menus, hotel rooms, plane tickets, golfers’ requests).” It’s a lot of work, he considers. Laughing, he admits that in reality, the easiest part is “the day of the event.”
Still, it’s exhausting for Jérôme. Afterward, he says: “I will spend two days sleeping.” The pressure, he finds, is the hardest part of this project because “we have to please everyone…”
People come to spend their money for the children. In return, he says: “we must offer them a service worthy of the name.”
Especially since the chosen location is none other than the best golf venue in France. The Royal Mougins Golf Club, a 5-star hotel.
On Tuesday night, after a golf course of around 5 hours, the players gathered for dinner to discuss their day and especially to participate in the raffle and auction.
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This year, up for auction are: Rafael Nadal’s racket, Messi and Varane’s signed jerseys, as well as flags from the American tennis master.
All hope to win the lot and donate the proceeds to the Lenval Foundation, present for the occasion.
