Sport and education seem like two distant terms, but no, not so much and even less so with events like the great auction of sports goods by the Juan Pablo Gutiérrez Cáceres Foundation, held on the evening of September 13 at the El Nogal club in Bogotá.
There, the organization managed to capture the attention of a large audience and several media outlets, including , to make even more visible the task they have tried to carry out since 2007: “supporting Colombian students with limited resources, by granting scholarships to pursue master’s and doctoral degrees in Colombia.”
Angela Maria Caceres, director of the Foundation, in her opening remarks at the event, highlighted the importance of this fundraising to continue its work: “This has changed the lives of many young people, their families, their environment, thanks to all those who contribute. It is a huge illusion, it is worth continuing to work.”
A large number of sports items were displayed and later auctioned, among the most important were shirts from teams such as Millonarios, Atlético Nacional and Atlético Bucaramanga, some signed by current stars of the clubs, such as Radamel Falcao García.
In addition, and what was most in demand among several attendees, were some iconic Colombian cycling jerseys. On display was the red-seeded garment worn by Lucho Herrera in the 1985 Tour de France, remembered for bearing some traces of blood from an iconic day for the national sport.
Rigoberto Urán, the standard-bearer of Colombian sport, was also seen present with three of the bicycles that accompanied him throughout his life. The idea of the auction came from this article, Cáceres confessed: “With this bike of Rigo’s, the idea of holding the auction arose. These are people who unite us through sport.”
More than 20 lots were auctioned, where significant amounts of money were raised, which will be used by the Juan Pablo Gutiérrez Cáceres Foundation to continue contributing to the number of scholarships awarded, which to date exceed 600 in different universities, with the hope that there will be more throughout Colombia.
Millionaires, contributor to Colombia’s education
Enrique Camacho, president of Millonarios, was present at the event. His presence also gave visibility to what they, as a club, are trying to do to contribute to those who are involved, in their sporting training, but also in their comprehensive training.
“Education is the most important factor for development in the country. At Millonarios everyone knows about football, but there is one very important thing, and that is the comprehensive training of young people”said the manager.
“To create a football team with a future and a serious structure, a series of very important tasks must be carried out, and the most important of these is the training of athletes,” he stressed.
“There is a lot of talent and skills, but also a lot of ignorance and lack of education in academia. They require a lot of training structure,” he added.
He also talked about the projects they are carrying out: “We have tried to make a long-term effort, eight years of intense work so that those boys we have, some 140 players, have a much more comprehensive training.”
“They should know how to play football, but also have training in manners, culture, media management, finance, social and individual behavior. That is Millonarios FC Campus (MFC),” ended.
