LVMH strengthens support for Robert Debré children’s hospital with 11th annual Dîner des Maisons Engagées fundraising event

LVMH chose International Volunteer Day – December 5 – to hold its annual Committed Companies Dinner (“Dîner des Maisons Engagées”), hosted by Chantal Gaemperle, Group Executive Vice President, Human Resources and Synergies, and Toni Belloni, LVMH Group Managing Director at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris. For this 11th edition of the event, the Group commissioned a special work by artist Liu Bolin which will be sold at auction, with proceeds going to Robert Debré Hospital in addition to support from the LVMH Group to help fight sickle cell anemia.

For the past 11 years, thanks to a meeting with Professor André Baruchel and Doctor Malika Benkerrou, the LVMH Group has supported the pediatric hematology department and sickle cell anemia center at Robert-Debré Hospital. Sickle cell anemia is one of the world’s leading genetic disorders, and no cure has yet been found. Widespread around the world, the disease affects some 15 million people, and 300,000 children are born with the disorder each year. Since the beginning of this partnership, over 1.8 million euros has been raised by LVMH to support research and care for children at the hospital.  

This year, LVMH teamed with Liu Bolin, an artist who calls himself an “invisible man”, to further boost awareness around this important cause. Commissioned by the Group, he created a work entitled L’Arbre de Vie, or The Tree of Life, which stages the artist and a child who is a patient at the hospital against the backdrop of a décor made up of a dozen drawings by children who are receiving care at Robert Debré. The work will be sold at Sotheby’s on February 20, 2024 during the Contemporary Discoveries auction. 

The evening also provided a chance to spotlight the day-to-day engagement of the LVMH Group and its 75 Maisons. In 2022, nearly 50,000 employees contributed their time to a variety of social solidarity actions, aiding over a million people during difficult moments in their lives. Among the beneficiaries isVETA, (Vivre etTravaillerAutrement), a nonprofit that supports employment for people with severe autism and is supported byGuerlain,and now the entire LVMH Group.What’smore, as part of its partnership with the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024, LVMH Group employees worldwide mobilized for an internal sports challenge, culminating on International Day of People with Disabilities, December 3, and raising 150,000 euros inadditionaldonations for VETA.  

The evening also featured a series of performances evoking the commitments of LVMH and its Maisons to underserved communities. Talents from the IZAO collective celebrated artistic diversity and unity among communities as keys to fostering social inclusion. Among the artists were free running champions, athletes shortlisted for the new Breakdance discipline at the Paris Olympic Games, and Beat Boxer MB14. They were led by artist and choreographer Ben Dos, who was discovered during the 18th edition of the Montfermeil Cultures and Creation fashion show, sponsored by LVMH. 

“Our annual Committed Companies Dinner is a very meaningful celebration for the Group. It gives us a chance to do even more to promote greater solidarity and positive social impact for our partners, and to thank all the teams whose daily efforts support our commitments to respect and inclusion,” said Chantal Gaemperle, LVMH Group Executive Vice President, Human Resources and Synergies.  

With Radio Classique commentator David Abiker as master of ceremonies, the Committed Companies Dinner also provided additional support for a new Coup de Cœur special cause. The Endomind association fights against endometriosis, a still little-known disease of the female reproductive system that afflicts some 180 million women around the world, and between 10 and 20 percent of women in France. Singer Imany, who has long headed a campaign against the disease, closed the event with a moving performance.    

In a perfect pairing of excellence and inclusion, the dinner itself was orchestrated by chef Thierry Marx, who worked with LVMH to create the Institut des Vocations pour l’Emploi, and who spoke about some of his many social solidarity initiatives to encourage employment, particularly in culinary professions, including “Cuisine mode d’emploi” and “Passeport pour l’emploi”.