God, AIDS, Africa & HOPE

Reflections / Gedanken

05/27/2015 • 6:24 am Comments Off on Memories of the Ball of HOPE 2015

Memories of the Ball of HOPE 2015

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

More pictures under http://hopecapetown.com/Ball_of_Hope/

Filed under: Catholic Church, General, HIV and AIDS, HOPE Cape Town Association, HOPE Cape Town Association & Trust, HOPE Cape Town Association & Trust, HOPE Cape Town Trust, Networking, Politics and Society, SA-German Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Society and living environment, South Africa, Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

05/02/2015 • 7:16 pm Comments Off on How the Ball of HOPE came into existence…

How the Ball of HOPE came into existence…

Many times I was asked how the Ball of HOPE came into existence and here it is: the story of the Ball of HOPE.

Being appointed chaplain to the German-speaking Catholic Community way back in 1997 I felt not a lot of willingness to raise money for the community via a bazaar, selling all the stuff nobody wants and thereafter give away for the next event of this kind. So I resolved to have a dinner – dance – booked the Mount Nelson, invited Archbishop Desmond Tutu – who to my surprise agreed to come and talk – and simply started with 70 people attending the first such event. In 2000 a young woman called at that time Anja Spandern moved to Cape Town to open the office of the SA-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Being her first customer – in need of some donations – a common plan was hatched to turn the dinner – dance of the Mount Nelson into a real ball. As in 2001 also HOPE Cape Town came in to existence, the Ball of HOPE was born.

The venue moved in 2003 to the Westin Hotel after having had the honor to bless the hotel during the opening ceremony together with the late Archbishop Lawrence Henry and other religious leaders of different faith.

Ever since that day the Ball of HOPE, HOPE Cape Town and the Southern African – German Chamber of Commerce are interlinked with the Westin Hotel, and I hope that this event of fundraising, but also entertainment, good food and a fabulous vibe will remain on the social calendar for many more years to come.

HOPE Cape Town is grateful for all the support rendered via the Ball of HOPE in the last years – and to talk numbers. I started in 1998 with a proceed of 20.000 Rand in total – in the last years the proceeds going to HOPE Cape Town were in the range of 150 000 – 200 000 Rand. Every cent of this money went straight and without deduction into the work of the organization, every cent was transformed into hope for a child, a family suffering from the consequences of HIV, AIDS or related illnesses.

This years Ball of HOPE is once again sold out – and if you want to know more about HOPE Cape Town or want to contribute towards the good cause, visit our website: http://www.hopecapetown.com

1998 Dinner Dance with Archbishop Desmond Tutu

1998 Dinner Dance with Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Blessing of the Westin Hotel 2003

Blessing of the Westin Hotel 2003

Filed under: Africa, Catholic Church, HIV and AIDS, HOPE Cape Town Association, HOPE Cape Town Association & Trust, SA-German Chamber of Commerce & Industry, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

04/23/2015 • 8:16 am Comments Off on Ball of HOPE is coming up

Ball of HOPE is coming up

Preparation for the annual Ball of HOPE, organized by the Southern African – German Chamber of Commerce and Industry together with HOPE Cape Town, are coming into gear. It is always the time of anticipation – after knowing that the Ball is again sold out this year, obviously all should work well and the guests should have a great night out. This year for the first time, we welcome US American guests from New Jersey attending the Ball. Together with our Swiss and German resident friends the Ball of HOPE starts to become a more international affair. The day of the ball is traditionally also the day of the Annual General Meeting for the HOPE Cape Town Trust. So besides all ball related preparations also the annual report, agendas, audits, portfolio meetings have to be prepared so that the Saturday concerned runs smoothly from the morning till midnight and even further.
The Ball of HOPE is certainly a fundraiser; after the HOPE Gala in Dresden, the biggest charity event for HOPE Cape Town on an annual base. It is also a marketing tool, showcasing the work of HOPE Cape Town and it’s development from a small project into a full-fledged charity operation still locally bound to the Western Province. Here it can indeed make a difference to the people reeling with HIV, TB and related illnesses. HOPE Cape Town has children and families as its core concern and it is amazing to see, how a little help can go an extra mile in giving a youngster the right environment to prosper and achieve her or his goals in life.

The Ball of HOPE send also out the clear message that without supporters and donors a charity organization could not exist on it’s own. It relies on a network on people supporting it in many ways, be it financial, be it with volunteer work, be it with assisting in guiding the way forward. So, in a way the Ball of HOPE is also a thank you to everybody helping to make HOPE Cape Town an organization ready to serve those in need of assistance.

We welcome you to our Annual Ball of HOPE :-)

We welcome you to our Annual Ball of HOPE 🙂

Filed under: HIV and AIDS, HOPE Cape Town Association, HOPE Cape Town Association & Trust, HOPE Cape Town Association & Trust, HOPE Cape Town Trust, Networking, SA-German Chamber of Commerce & Industry, South Africa, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

01/14/2015 • 9:53 pm Comments Off on World without Aids Award – Berlin 2015

World without Aids Award – Berlin 2015

Being honored in absentia is an interesting feeling – or better a mix of feelings: Being grateful for the honor of receiving the “World without Aids” Award, feeling sorry for not being able to attend the ceremony, feeling committed to a prior agreed engagement as a chaplain at sea. Sometimes roles clashes, but very often they support each other: being a priest, a chaplain, an activist, a chairperson. This time it was not possible to accommodate all roles on this particular day.
This award makes me feel humble – it is a recognition of work done, but mostly I feel it is a challenge to continue doing what one does best and to continue fighting for a world without Aids. I can only do this, if I have the support of so many – the employees of HOPE Cape Town, the boards of HOPE Cape Town Trust and Association, the multitude of sponsors and donors and partners like the German Aids Foundation or “Hope and Future e.V.” or Saxonia Systems and Process Consulting and all the others named on the HOPE Cape Town’s website.
So once again thank you to those having awarded me the recognition; congratulations to the other awardee Prof Rita Suessmuth – thanks to Manuel Neuer from Bayern Munich for the kind words and all I ask is that you all continue assisting in the dream of a world without Aids… It’s possible…

German AIDS Foundation honors Rev Father Stefan Hippler and Prof Rita Suessmuth
On Saturday evening, 10 January 2015, the 21st Festive Opera Gala for the German AIDS Foundation took place at the Deutsche Oper Berlin. More than 2000 high-profiled guests from visited the event. The new main sponsor, Audi, presented a cheque of 200,000 Euros to the Honorary Chairman of the German AIDS-Foundation, Prof Dr Rita SĂĽssmuth. Overall, the German AIDS-Foundation expects a total of around 500,000 Euros for this year.
The money will go into important aid projects of the German AIDS Foundation in Germany, South Africa and Mozambique. The next Festive Opera Gala in Berlin will take place on 7 November 2015.This year the winners of the “World without AIDS Award” were Rev Fr Stefan Hippler and Prof Dr Rita SĂĽssmuth. Via video message, Manuel Neuer gave the laudation for Rev Fr Stefan Hippler. The soccer star honored the work of the founder of HOPE Cape Town, an organisation that supports especially children with HIV/AIDS in South Africa.
The former Mayor of Berlin, Klaus Wowereit, honored Prof Dr Rita SĂĽssmuth for her many decades of fighting against AIDS.
For the German AIDS Foundation, the Festive Opera Gala is the most glamorous and most important charity event since 1994. Since many years Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission, acts as chairman for this evening. The Charity Gala received more than 6.2 million Euros in the last 20 years. With the income of the 21st Festive Opera Gala the German AIDS Foundation is going to support projects in Berlin as well as in Southern Africa.

Filed under: General, HOPE Cape Town Association, HOPE Cape Town Association & Trust, HOPE Cape Town Trust, Networking, Reflection, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

12/30/2014 • 9:56 am 1

… and a happy new year 2015

Wishing everybody a great start into 2015 and please remember, that there remains always one problem with all the resolutions for the new year:
You take yourself with into 2015  🙂
and change will not come overnight but gradually.
So be wise,
resolve to take small steps
to become more mature,
more joyful,
more enlightened,
more faithful,
more yourself
–
and at the end
you will become the person
God saw in you
already from the very beginning.

Blessings and the feeling of unconditional love

Fr Stefan

Filed under: Catholic Church, Center of Healing, General, HIV and AIDS, HIV Prevention, HIV Treatment, HOPE Cape Town Association, HOPE Cape Town Association & Trust, HOPE Cape Town Association & Trust, HOPE Cape Town Trust, HOPE Gala Dresden, Medical and Research, Networking, Politics and Society, Reflection, Religion and Ethics, SA-German Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Society and living environment, Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Blog Categories

Follow God, AIDS, Africa & HOPE on WordPress.com

You can share this blog in many ways..

Bookmark and Share

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 2,711 other subscribers

Translation – Deutsch? Française? Espanol? …

The translation button is located on each single blog page, Copy the text, click the button and paste it for instant translation:
Website Translation Widget

or for the translation of the front page:

* Click for Translation

Copyright

© Rev Fr Stefan Hippler and HIV, AIDS and HOPE.
Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Rev Fr Stefan Hippler and HIV, AIDS and HOPE with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

This not withstanding the following applies:
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.