92 met een aantal betrokken par tners zorg voor die organisatiekosten, zodat we kunnen garanderen dat elke euro die gedoneerd wordt ook echt naar onderzoek gaat. Het leuke is dat de onderzoekers die we steunen elk jaar een lekencollege geven, zodat de donateurs begri jpen waar hun geld aan wordt besteed. Zo bli jf t het heel transparant waar we mee bezig zi jn.” Om geld uit te kunnen geven moet je het eerst ophalen. Via campagnes als ‘Ik ben er één van’, via evenementen en fundraisers. Dat is ti jdens de maar voor tdurende coronapandemie moeili jk. Zo is de zesde editie van het evenement De Hollandse 100, waarbi j deelnemers tien kilometer schaatsen en negentig kilometer fietsen, uitgesteld tot 20 maar t 2022. “Veel van de deelnemers hebben zelf te maken gehad met lymfeklierkanker, dus we kunnen geen enkel risico nemen,” zegt Bernhard. “Met mi j gaat het goed, toch werd ik ook vri j snel opgeroepen voor de vaccinaties. Door de chemotherapie val ik ook onder de kwetsbare doelgroep.” B o k s - e v e n t Niet alle fundraisers zi jn uitgesteld. Zo werd ti jdens het Amsterdam Dance Event, in oktober, op het circuit van Zandvoor t een race-event gehouden, waarbi j negentienduizend euro werd opgehaald. Ook kreeg Lymph&Co bi jna vi jfenzeventigduizend euro van het boks-event White Collar Boxing Rotterdam, georganiseerd door Lymph&- Co-ambassadeur en oud-bokster Marichelle de Jong. Veer tien ceo’s, directeuren en ondernemers uit Rotterdam en omgeving gingen de ring in. own illness is in stark contrast to his public image. He is also co-founder of the IT concern Levi9 and co-owner of Circuit Zandvoor t. He's been accused of ‘lacking social radar’ in the past, but when he talks about his foundation, he is filled with compassion and enthusiasm. People in the public eye are prone to criticism, he reasons. ‘My image sometimes takes a beating, that’s true. But I prefer to focus on the things I can influence, and I’m convinced that everything will work out in tie. Not everyone has to like me, I just hope disliking me won’t stop them from donating. In the end, it's more about the image of the foundation and the associated experts than my reputation. 1 0 0 % The foundation has raised more than four million euros since 2016 and suppor ts seven research projects. Every single euro donated to the foundation goes to research. Even Bernhard admits this is unique, but he does not want to cast judgement on foundations who do it dif ferently. ‘You want good people in your organisation and good people cost money. Usually about a quar ter to a third of each donation goes to organisational costs. In our case, our companies and several dedicated par tners take care of these costs so we can pump every penny into research. The researchers we suppor t also hold a lecture every year to help donors understand how their money is being spent. This keeps the whole process transparent.’ Before you can spend money, you have to raise it, either through campaigns like Ik ben er één van or through events and fundraisers. This has been par ticularly challenging during the pandemic. The sixth edition of De Hollandse 100 event, where par ticipants skate ten kilometres and cycle ninety kilometres, was postponed until 20 March 2022. ‘Many of the par ticipants are lymphoma survivors, so we can’ t take any risks,’ explains Bernhard. ‘I’m doing really well, but I was invited to get vaccinated quite early on. The chemotherapy makes me par t of the high-risk group.’ B o x i n g e v e n t Not all of the fundraisers were postponed. During the Amsterdam Dance Event in October, a racing event was held at Circuit Zandfoor t that raised 90,000 euros. Nearly 75,000 euros was raised for Lymph&Co during White Collar Boxing Rotterdam, organised by Lymph&Co ambassador and former boxer Marichelle de Jong. During this boxing event, four teen Rotterdam CEOs, directors and entrepreneurs went head-to-head in the ring.
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