France/Lisieux: Behind the Mega-Lotto, Two Organizations United by Solidarity
Half of the proceeds from the Mega-Lotto drawing held on September 19 will be donated to Pompiers Missions Humanitaires. This partnership is part of a long-standing relationship.
For players, this will be a chance to win a Peugeot 208, an electric bike, or even a TV. For the organizing associations, the stakes are quite different. Half of the proceeds from the September 19 mega-bingo event , held at the Lisieux Exhibition Center, will be donated to Pompiers Missions Humanitaires. Michel Anquetil, president of Les Petits Bals, has been working with this organization for several years.
“Michel and I have known each other for quite a few years. We have a partnership, and we both really appreciate each other,” says Mickaël Richomme, president of Pompiers Missions Humanitaires. “This isn’t the first bingo event Michel has organized for us, and he’s been helping us for quite a few years.”
For Michel Anquetil, this partnership is part of a broader tradition. For nearly fifteen years, the president of Les Petits Bals has been organizing events and making his venue available to other organizations. These initiatives support a wide range of causes, from humanitarian aid to Alzheimer’s disease, dialysis, and disabilities.
Chairs in Need of Replacement
The mega-bingo event is also intended to help Les Petits Bals fund their own needs. Since the association does not receive any grants, Michel Anquetil explains that they need to replace some of their equipment, particularly their chairs. “The solution is to hold a big bingo event to raise funds,” he explains. But the president wanted to partner with Pompiers Missions Humanitaires for this event, based on a simple principle: “We’ll split the profits 50-50.”
For its part, the humanitarian organization also operates exclusively on external funding. “We’re a nonprofit under the 1901 law. We operate solely on donations from businesses, individuals, and local governments as well,” explains Mickaël Richomme.
Volunteer firefighters on a mission
Pompiers Missions Humanitaires consists entirely of volunteers and has no paid staff. Its members often use their vacation time to go on missions or organize fundraising events.
The organization focuses on three main areas. The first is emergency response, involving the deployment of medical teams capable of responding to natural disasters and setting up field hospitals. After four years of work, the organization received the accreditation it had been seeking from the World Health Organization in June for its international emergency medical teams.
The second area of focus is development. The organization collects decommissioned fire trucks from France that are still in good condition, refurbishes them, and sends them to countries in need. Romania, Paraguay, and Benin are among the countries with which it works. The vehicles are accompanied by training programs for local firefighters.
Finally, the association carries out solidarity initiatives for populations that have been displaced or affected by conflicts and pandemics. Since the start of the war in Ukraine, it has sent medical supplies and basic necessities.
“The money raised will be used to pay for the container being sent to Paraguay and to cover the airfare for the trainers who will be traveling next October,” explains Mickaël Richomme.
Richomme will be present on the day of the raffle to introduce his organization. This is a way to put a face to the cause supported by the raffle tickets—and to remind everyone that, for both organizations, this event is first and foremost intended to fund their upcoming initiatives.
Source: actufr
