French national lottery operator, Française des Jeux (FDJ), has made a donation of €1.26 million ($1.26 million) to help France’s historic heritage. Late last month, the FDJ embarked on its fifth ‘Mission Patrimoine’, a fundraising project for the protection and restoration of heritage sites.
Now, in the same page, the FDJ and the French Heritage Foundation (Fondation du Patrimoine) have joined forces to help restore a piece of Parisian history. The YMCA Paris, located on Rue de Trévise, opened in 1893 and is home to the oldest basketball court in the world.
In an attempt to conserve the site, a historic monument “weakened by time”, the FDJ and the Fondation du Patrimoine awarded the YMCA the sum of 1.26 million euros.
Stéphane Pallez, President and CEO of FDJ, commented on the renovation: “Contributing to the renovation of the YMCA, a place ‘weakened’ by time, and bringing it back to life, is a source of great pride for FDJ, our Corporate Foundation and collaborators”.
She continued, “The YMCA project allows us to combine our various social commitments in the areas of heritage, sport and youth.”
In August, the FDJ launched the last part of its ‘Mission Patrimoine’. This involved a scratch card campaign and several lotto draws to raise money for the Fondation du Patrimoine.
Célia Vérot, General Manager of the Fondation du Patrimoine, said: “The YMCA Paris proves that in addition to its cultural or architectural interest, heritage can play a very useful social role.”
“With the support of the FDJ and the FDJ Foundation, the Fondation du Patrimoine promotes the financing of heritage projects with an impact in terms of inclusion and integration”, added Célia.
About the FDJ
The FDJ has always contributed to French society since the creation of the National Lottery in 1933, playing a key role in the redistribution of much of the stakes in its games.
The story began when Bienaimé Jourdain and Albert Jugon came up with the idea of creating a lottery to raise funds to help wounded combatants in World War I, who were not eligible for state aid at the time.
In addition to offering top-notch lottery services, the company supports various social interest actions (charitable associations, French sports, conservation of historical heritage, etc.).
