With the White Pirate preparing to set sail on a two-week philanthropic adventure along the French Riviera at the end of the summer holidays, the mission’s Georges-Olivier Kalifa and the Michel Pastor Group have begun collecting donations for the Lenval Foundation.
On 28th August, the White Pirate, portrayed by the Editor-in-Chief of La Gazette, Georges-Olivier Kalifa, will be casting off on his annual mission to raise funds and collect presents and gifts for the children cared for by the Lenval Foundation.
Over the next few weeks, wooden chests will appear in harbours and marinas right along the coast, as well as in tourism offices and partnered establishments between Cassis and Menton. The public is being invited to deposit new toys, games, books and comics in these chests, which will be collected by the White Pirate at the close of the summer holidays. Scheduled stops include visits to Monaco, Saint Jean Cap Ferrat, Antibes and Saint Tropez. Click here for a full site of the chests’ locations.
The donated items will then be given to the Lenval Foundation staff on 9th September, who will distribute the items among the young patients in their care.
“The Michel Pastor Group has been supporting the White Pirate since the inception of this wonderful initiative, which has been a tremendous success, with over 10,000 donations collected in four summers,” says Jean-Baptiste Pastor, President and CEO of the Michel Pastor Group. “The White Pirate’s activities positively impact thousands of children… We wish to continue this commitment. [It] is more than just a philanthropic gesture, it’s the opportunity to bring smiles to faces at a critical and often complex time in our children’s lives.”
The Lenval Foundation is a public utility that provides comprehensive healthcare and social services to children throughout the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region. The hospital in Nice is an internationally renowned paediatric centre that manages as many as 55,000 emergency visits and 15,000 hospitalisations annually.
Following the journey
The public at large, as well as the patients themselves, will be able to follow the White Pirate on his mission as he will be making live broadcasts on his social media platforms and website for the duration of his mission.
“The idea is to extend the hospital walls so that everyone can participate,” explains Kalifa. “It is a true sea adventure lasting over 15 days, during which we reconnect with our inner child to create a unique story full of surprises and twists. Through these short videos, we virtually take the children into a world of pirates, games and gifts, using all the elements that build a true modern-day epic.”
The local leg of the journey, from Cap d’Ail to Monaco, will take place on 7th September. After a quick rest, the White Pirate will board his boat for a final excursion and make the trip to Nice to deliver the gifts on 9th September.
For more information, visit The White Sails (voilesblanches.com).
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