Atlanta United owner Arthur Blank has donated more than £24,000 to the Aberdeen FC Community Trust.
Blank, worth an estimated £4.4billion, and his family foundation has agreed to pay $30,000 to help their partner club’s charity during the COVID-19 emergency.
The Dons and the Major League Soccer side are in partnership with Blank’s holding company buying a small share in the Pittodrie outfit last year shortly after Dave Cormack succeeded Stewart Milne
Atlanta president Darren Eales said: “It has been wonderful to see how Aberdeen FC and the AFC Community Trust have supported and galvanized the Aberdeen community in these difficult times.
“Giving back is one of Atlanta United’s founding pillars, and a core value we share with our partner club. We are delighted to support AFC Community Trust in their great works, and to be able to show our solidarity now more than ever.”
The donation is part of the Atlanta United ‘United We Conquer’ initiative, and will be used to support AFC’s #StillStandingFree campaign to mitigate the economic hardships in Aberdeen and surrounding areas during this crisis.
It means that the AFC Community Trust has now raised £140,000 during the lockdown and this includes a vow from directors to pay the value of 10 percent of all season tickets out of their own pockets.
So far,, the Trust has made over 500 deliveries of food and essentials to support 2,318 people of which 1,352 are children. Almost 6,000 fans have received a welfare phone call.
AFCCT chief executive, Liz Bowie, said: “Many of our initiatives and avenues for raising funds were effectively cut‐off immediately following the suspension of football and the lock‐down. However, the generosity of AFC fans and others in the community has given us a vital lifeline and, in turn, allowed us to support the most vulnerable in our communities through our outreach programme and our food package deliveries.
“This money from the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation is being ring‐fenced for our work in helping to educate and support young people deal with their mental health.
“By collaborating with Grassroots Soccer, we have developed the MINDSET programme which has already been trialled in two schools in the city and shire.
“The impact of this programme has been significant.
“We all know that mental health is going to become even more of an issue as the lock‐down continues and then when we emerge from it. We will be ready to respond due to this generosity.”
