'Enduro for Romania' the charity project of Red Bull Romaniacs
Despite the poverty that still exists in the rural areas of Romania, people welcome our event and we try to give something back to those communities. Sustainability, for us, also means helping those communities evolve and respect the environment.
Since 2016 we increased charity funding by creating and developing 'Enduro for Romania' an organized and managed charity project to support and give back more to those who need it most.
To raise larger funds we host a 'Flea-market' with used and excess Enduro gear and protection equipment.
This has taken place during the 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2022, 2023 events at the Prolog event in the Sibiu city center.
We encourage competitors and visitors to bring anything they can spare for this good cause.
Romaniacs event office staff collect equipment donated before, during, and after each event, they wash and clean them before presenting the donated articles for sale at the Red Bull Romaniacs Flea-market which is held on the Bulevardul Corneliu Coposu on the day of the Prolog qualifications and Prolog Finals races.
This concept has been a great success in obtaining charity funds and we will continue to do this for future Red Bull Romaniac events .
The money raised during 2023 went towards the Oncology Support Centre by 'Sus Inima' Association (40.000 lei), and Environmental Educational Projects, starting with educating rural community schoolers about garbage collection, and the importance of clean rivers.
We witnessed how plastic river pollution increases yearly in many areas of the country, and we decided to act!
It is not enough to clean a river without teaching the community youngsters about, for example, the effects plastic pollution has on their area. Therefore, each action starts with a ”Did you know?” session adapted to their level of understanding. The schoolers learn about the main side effects of plastic pollution, and what it can be recycled and reused. After that, we move to action and try to collect as much garbage as possible from their river. When we deal with a community with a high rate of school dropouts, we go into that village with school supplies and try to help with their immediate needs.
2024 - As the need to clean up the mountain rivers is extremely high in Romania, we intend to do at least 10 major educational projects yearly and extend the action to increase the impact.
Where can I hand over my donation articles?
- On arrival - There is a 'Enduro for Romania' collection point near the entrance to the Competitor Paddock.
- During the event - deposit clothing or protection equipment at the Competitor Paddock collection point throughout the whole event.
- On departure - Before departing Sibiu you can leave your used (and even dirty) motorcycle gear and protection equipment at the entrance to the Competitor Paddock.
The collection point is marked with the logo sign ''Enduro for Romania''
What happens with my donated motorcycle clothing or protection equipment?
- We will wash them and prepare them for sale.
- The items will be sold at the "'Flea Market'' on Bulevardul Corneliu Coposu during the day of the Prolog event
All money raised goes directly to the charity projects of 'Enduro for Romania'
In 2023
As part of the Enduro for Romania project in October 2023, we met 80 teenagers attending the Câinei School in Vâlcea County, and together, we managed to clean up a big part of the small river that flows near their school. During the rally, we saw so much plastic on the water and river banks that, we decided to start an awareness and cleanup program targeting schools. It was a lovely day, and together, we collected over 250 garbage bags of recyclable waste in less than 2 hours. It was essential to see the kids involved, and we are glad that during the presentation, they found out why throwing waste into the water is not okay and that you can recycle. Their involvement was rewarded with school supplies.
In May 2024, we had a similar action in the Valea Lui Stan community, and, although there you need an army to collect the entire garbage thorough in the river, we managed to collect dozens of bags exactly at the confluence with Lotru River, - the Red Bull Romaniacs 2024, Day 3 track goes near this community.
When you go out there and you see a plastic bottle, a can, etc., pick it up and take it to a place where it will be recycled. We pick as much as we can each time we go outdoors, whether with the bike, car, bicycle, boat, kaya, sup, etc.
In 2022
The 'Enduro for Romania' charity funds collected have been used to purchase play equipment for the kindergarten in the village of Mălaia.
Mălaia is a community of the county of Vâlcea, it is approximately 121 kilometers by road south of Sibiu and has 1886 inhabitants.
Google maps - Mălaia It is between Brezoi 10 kilometers and Voinesa 19 kilometers.
From left to right - Alex Radu from Romaniacs | Vice Major of Mălaia-Plăvițu Petrica | Sigrid Freinademetz-Romaniacs organiser/Charity Manager | Mayor of Mălaia-Gheorghe Dinculescu
In 2019 / 2020 / 2021
Due to Covid our charity 'Flea-market' activities had to cease, we began again in 2022.
In 2019
From entry fees collected from competitors for the 2019 Red Bull Romaniacs the Freinademetz family(The event organisers) allocated 5000 Euros directly into the 'Enduro for Romania charity fund'. We were not able to organise a Flea Market in 2019 due to Covid.
What where the donations used for?
Our Enduro for Romania charity projects funds where used to create and improve two Kindergartens in the Olt Valley area in the village communities of Câinenii Mici 50 kilometers from Sibiu and Greblești 53 kilometers from Sibiu.
Google maps - Câinenii Mici and Greblești
Câinenii Mici
The outside playground needed to be reworked completely and also the inside playing area required a complete renovation.
We provided the Kindergarten with toys that can be moved indoors during the winter months.
Greblești
We created a playground and purchased and installed playground equipment in the Kindergarten.
In 2018
3800 Euro (approximately 17,000 Romanian Lei) was raised by *Competitors, families & friends, fans and staff of Red Bull Romaniacs.
A special warm thank you - to all those who contributed to, donated to, or bought from the ''Enduro for Romania Flea market''.
What were the donations used for?
It has been used to purchase special books and logopedic adaptive toys for children suffering from Down Syndrome for the Jiu Valley Down Sindrome Association .
They have over 30 children with this condition in their care and no money options since it`s one of the poorest regions of Romania.
These purchases are designed to stimulate and improve their students learning abilities.
In addition we donated money to purchase playground equipment for a kindergarten school in the Valea Jiului area led by Mrs Anita Burlacu.
The previous play area had literally nothing for the children.
Special thanks goes out to Andreas Brunhofer from Austria who raised 1800 Euros during his birthday by asking friends and family to donate to the Enduro for Romania charity projects rather than buying him birthday presents.
In 2017 & 2016
Donations went where?
We were able to raise 6,300 Euro.
Bank cheques were handed to the Sibiu County Hospital - Neonatology Premature Baby Department and The Ambulance service.
1. Neonatal section of Sibiu County Hospital
We have further improved the conditions in the Neonatal section of Sibiu County Hospital.
Over 400 prematurely new born babies per year are in desperate need of incubators, which provide special conditions for them to grow and develop properly. The hospital has only 25 incubators, only 10 of them being new, the rest came from donations from Germany and Holland and are now really, really outdated. Most incubators arrived in Sibiu in the early 90's.
One standard incubator costs around 5-6000 Euro and can offer the chance of life for about 250 prematurely born kids in their 10 years life span.
The hospital needs more incubators.
Congenital heart malformations are the most common congenital anomalies detected in new born babies (9 out of 1000 live births). Of these 17% are congenital heart malformations that evolve with cyanosis and can be easily detected by clinical examination. Not all congenital malformations of the heart show symptoms in the neonatal period, early detection rate in more recent years has decreased the number of losses due to heart abnormalities, heart failure and has increased survival rates in new born babies. Most critical cases can be determined by clinical examination and pulse oximetry, confirmed by echocardiography and treatment may be given, a provisional prostaglandin E, hospitalisation in a cardio vascular surgical department and corrective surgical palliative remedies.
2. Ambulance
We are also supporting the Ambulance Service in Sibiu. The Ambulance County Service Sibiu also heavily depends on donations for the purchase of latest lifesaving technology. Earlier this year they received a donation for a continuous cardiac massage machine - the ''Lucas'', the first such device in Sibiu County. A device like this is needed on every ambulance.
Lucas is a mechanical pneumatic device to provide chest compressions, providing the best solution for proper cardio respiratory resuscitation as well as constant and uninterrupted chest compressions. According to statistics the success rate of resuscitation is doubled when the Lucas device is available. In 2016 ambulance doctors successfully managed to resuscitate ca. 30% of patients with cardio-respiratory arrest. The cost of a Lucas device is about 10,000 Euros.
We will contribute to support the purchase of the next LUCAS device for Sibiu County ambulances.
How did the 'Enduro for Romania' charity project start
There is poverty and tough living conditions in many rural areas where Romaniac tracks pass nearby.
Despite the tough rural lifestyle, local people still welcome the Romaniacs hard enduro event into their neighborhoods – with generous hospitality and enthusiastic support for all the competitors who come to compete from all over the World.
We wished to return that kind hospitality back into the community and to the more remote villages with meaningful and useful contributions from enduro motorcycle enthusiasts and event competitors.
We began at first (pre-2016) by personally raising funds to support those in need in remote areas, by renovating schools, equipping medical aid points and delivering some needed supplies.
To raise even more funds in 2016 we began with the creation of 'Enduro for Romania' as a focused charity project, hosting a "Flea market'' at the In-city Prolog with used and donated excess motorcycle enduro clothing and protection equipment and other products.
We encouraged all our event competitors, fans, and friends, companies and the motorcycle event spectators and all participants to help by donating any motorcycle related items they can spare: All for this great charity cause,
Enduro motorcyclists and spectators who come to Sibiu for the event come and visit us at the 'Flea Market' at the In-city Sibiu Prolog and purchase some of the excellent second hand and NEW motorcycle products that are sold there.
We collect and store enduro clothing and products throughout the year, we have donated boxes full of Romaniacs equipment, sold Romaniacs memorabilia items, obtained sponsored products to have available NEW merchandise to enable the Romaniacs Office team and their helpers to host a successful enduro motorcycle equipment 'Flea-market' on the Bulevardul Corneliu Coposu on the day of the Prolog event every year.
The charity 'Enduro for Romania' concept is proven to be a successful and friendly way to obtain charity funds.
You can contribute before, during and after the Red Bull Romaniacs:
- Bring new or ''used but cleaned' motorcycle clothing and protection equipment from your home to the event for us to sell at the annual ''Enduro for Romania"" charity Flea market that is held before, during and after the Prolog event at the Bulevardul Corneliu Coposu
- Competitors Leave your dirty used event motorcycle clothing and protection equipment after competing in the Red Bull Romaniacs event, we will wash them, sort them, store them for the next years Prolog 'Enduro for Romania' charity Enduro Flea market
- If you can provide free NEW 'company brand products'' that we can sell at the Enduro Flea market please contact Maria Falamas mariaf@xventure.net or Martin Freinademetz martinf@xventure.net
- Contribute with a direct cash donation into the charity account for our associatia Club sportiv „'hai la miscare
IBAN EUR: RO67BTRLEURCRT0645227001
IBAN RON: RO20BTRLRONCRT0645227001
Banca Transilvania: Sediul Central: Str. George Baritiu, nr. 8, 400027, Cluj-Napoca
SWIFT: BTRLRO22
Share on your
