When the final sum of 525,000 euros flashed up on the screen in the atrium of the Mercedes-Benz Museum late at night, there was thunderous cheering. “An incredible sum. We can use it to help so many people around the world,” said STELP founder Serkan Eren. “In these difficult times, we have not only generated important donations, but also shown that a lot can be achieved with cohesion and solidarity.” Although the previous year’s donation record of 550,000 euros was narrowly missed, Eren was more than satisfied: “We never thought we would reach this sum again and the fact that no one less than Bausa rounded up the final total of 523,415 to 525,000 is simply incredible.” The total sum includes all proceeds from the evening, such as ticket sales, donations and the raffle.
Although the gala was celebrated as a black-tie event with a red carpet, champagne reception and an elegant four-course menu, the STELP team led by Serkan Eren did not spare its guests the harsh realities. The focus was on the aid organization’s work in Yemen and Ukraine. When the video of an attack on a van carrying four international volunteers on the Ukrainian front line was shown and one of the two survivors suddenly stood on stage to talk about his experience, it was silent in the atrium of the Mercedes-Benz Museum.
STELP aims to inspire reflection with fundraising gala
“Our gala should not just be an evening for drinking champagne. We want to shake things up, show the reality and make people think,” says Eren. Nevertheless, the guests’ well-being was of course also taken care of: Eren’s wife Giulia and her father Romano Cardascia, who run the Bottega da Giulia in the west of Stuttgart and the Oggi on Kleiner Schlossplatz, spoiled the guests with an Italian gala menu. Master chocolatier Kevin Kugel conjured up a delicious dessert, while Vhy! under the direction of STELP board member Timo Hildebrand opened the evening with unusual finger food and a vegan starter.
A highlight of the gala was the performance by Stuttgart comedian Özcan Coşar, whose program provided plenty of laughs. When local hero Bausa later performed hits such as “Was du Liebe nennst”, nobody was able to stay in their seats. Culcha Candela continued the evening with their classics “Hamma!” and “Monsta” and got even the last guests dancing. Together with the audience, the Berlin musicians moved the crowd from left to right through the atrium. “Something like this really only happens at STELP,” said a happy Serkan Eren before he left for the after-show party, where the party went on until the early hours of the morning.
