KEPAKY’s engagement with Sports started from the Foundation’s early steps, since the promotion of Sports to young people fosters good physical and mental health, inner empowerment and clear goal setting in life. All these are principles that govern the Foundation since its establishment.

The saying “Healthy mind in a healthy body” is encompassed and is in line with the Foundation’s aims. The Founder of KEPAKY, Mr. Andreas Sofocleous, has always been an advocate of sports and supported the idea that sports could provide the incentives to young people for them to be benefited and to progress at personal and societal level.

Sport’s participation gives the opportunity to young people to improve their physical condition and to get used to a work-out lifestyle that will ideally carry on their adulthood. Furthermore, sports are related to the way in which the individual realises the world and the surrounding environment.

With his participation in sports, the young person becomes a member of a team and learns to communicate equally, to follow rules and to participate in a mutual endeavour for a common goal.

Equally important is of course the fact that through sports, the individual realises and accepts diversity, while also cultivating the idea of mutual respect and tolerance to the Other.

In 2006-2007 Mr. Sofocleous funded the activity of the Sports Club AEL for the conduct of sport activities for children (DTL EKA AEL). In addition to this, the Founder of KEPAKY contributed in the accomplishment of the 2nd National Race Competition of the District Gym K.N. of Pelendri “Sergios Pourgouris”, which took place on June 10, 2007. In parallel, funding was given to the team KALLIES Bowling Team in 2007 for the promotion of bowling.

Furthermore, since 2017, PROTEAS MANAGEMENT SERVICES LTD, of which Mr. Andreas Sofocleous is one of the shareholders and Managers, supporting the vision, the values and the philosophy of AEL Bowling team, became one of its major supporters, which resulted in the team being renamed to PROTEAS AEL Bowling. In this way, he contributed to the development of an innovative platform of activities, which fosters healthy lifestyle through sports.

The financial support and help of Mr. Sofocleous to the Women’s Football Team Apollon Ladies from 2007 to 2010 was a notable, ground-breaking deed which gave the incentive to women to get involved in football, a notably male-dominated sport discipline, especially in a country like Cyprus, where sports contain discrimination element to a large extent. Thus, this initiative from Mr. Sofocleous, simultaneously transmitted messages of equal opportunities and gender equality.

Mr. Andreas Sofocleous was also a sponsor of the men’s basketball team of AEL, which in 2008 won the 8th Cup in its history and made it to the Final Four of FIBA EuroCup 2007-2008, where they won the 3rd place. In 2009, the basketball team participated for a second consecutive year in the Final Four of FIBA EuroCup 2008-2009 and won the 4th place.

During the funding of PROTEAS EKA AEL from Mr. Sofocleous, the team undertook the organisation of the FIBA EUROCUP FINAL FOUR, which was the capping stone for the team’s endeavours for European distinction and acknowledgement of Cyprus on the Basketball sports’ map.

These were two great distinctions, for which the team struggled a lot for being able to prove itself on people’s notion as a team that is able to undertake and successfully accomplish big events. The beginning took place with the All Star Game and then with the Final Four.

On April 18-20, 2008, Limassol hosted the top interlink event of FIBA EUROPE and became the capital of European basketball. The fact that FIBA EUROPE decided that PROTEAS EKA AEL was able to take over a major event as this one, was by itself a huge success.

In 2008, Mr. Sofocleous proceeded to the funding of the Football Team of Athlitiki Enosis Lemesou (AEL), a historic team for the city of Limassol, which at the time was having financial difficulties. Since then, the President of AEL Podosfairo, Mr. Sofocleous supports and funds all of the team’s activities. Football is a sport with a long history and the majority has conjoined it with beautiful memories of their childhood years.

For this reason, supporting this sport is at the same time an enhancement of all the ideas fostered by sports, such as team work, the power of will, cooperation, patience and persistence in every effort, values that constitute the pillars of KEPAKY Foundation throughout all its years.

Great emphasis was put on the infrastructure sections of the team, for the young Academy members to be benefited and to be given the opportunity to develop the capacities, skills and talent. A large number of the Academy members are attending Private Sports Schools with scholarship and at the same time, they are often given the opportunity to participate in mobilities and travel abroad through organised training programmes, such as for instance through the Erasmus+ programme.

From 2016 and until now, the logo of KEPAKY can be found on the T-shirts of the football team of AEL, a beautiful and innovative initiative from the team, which in this way supports the Foundation’s work. This symbolic action is by itself a deed of social contribution and solidarity.

The aim of this action was for the Foundation to become more well-known and to strengthen its capability for donation and offering. In this way, having a football team promoting a Foundation that furthers volunteerism and social contribution, social messages are being fostered and this action as a whole becomes a source of inspiration for other people to follow the volunteerism path, either through KEPAKY or with any other way they wish.

The two organisations are disseminating humanitarian messages, healthy competition, healthy occupation through football and avoidance of mistaken behaviours on behalf of the fans, such as violence in the stadiums, drugs usage and any other activity that tarnishes the meaning of sports.

Moreover, in 2008 KEPAKY renovated the basketball field of the Greek School of Mariupol and contributed to the promotion of sports in the area with the full coverage of the training expenses of talented children in tennis, volleyball and other sport disciplines. In parallel, the Foundation made donations to athletic organisations, teams and Academies. In this way, children had the opportunity to be trained on their sport discipline, so that their chances in sports to be widened, their skills’ level to be improved and for a smoother entry to the employment sector at a future stage.

The next year and within the context of the Foundation’s programme for reinforcing the prevention of addictive substances usage, the “KEPAKY Basketaball Camp” was organised, from the 6th until the 12th of July 2009, in which 80 children participated, aged 8 to 17, from which around 30% played basketball for the first time.

The programme had a dual character and goal: the healthy occupation of children and teenagers during summer time to stay away from the hazards of addictive substances and at the same time the children’s familiarisation with basketball, under the constant supervision of professional coaches, who brought them in contact with the techniques and practices of the sport discipline. Of course, one does not negate the other, since being engaged in sports is an inhibitory factor for the involvement of young people in the dangerous world of addictive substances, fending them off the usage threat.

In parallel, the participants in the programme had the opportunity to attend multiple seminars and workshops, among which the one for violence in the stadiums, which took place with the presence of psychologists form the Educational Psychology Service of the Ministry of Education and Culture. In this way KEPAKY contributed in the promotion of solidarity, healthy competition, education and uplifting children’s ethos, inside as well as outside the pitch.

Sports are a conscious mobile activity, which aims at entertainment, contentment and competing effort. The Foundation’s focus on these ages is very important since we strongly believe that it contributed to the development and improvement of psychosomatic strengths, discipline and the prevention and healing of pathological conditions.

In 2010 KEPAKY organise the 1st Charity Beach Volley Tournament, in cooperation with KOA and KOPE at the federal premises of KOPE, next to the Limassol Nautical Club on August 28 and 29, 2010. Groups of people from all around Cyprus signed up for the tournament, which highlighted not only the sports activity of the Foundation, but also the consistency between the notions of donation and sports.

In 2010, on May 30, the bazaar “Joining Hands, Constructing Joy” was organised, which was afterwards held for 3 consecutive years (2010, 2011, 2012), always on May. In addition to the bazaar, a mini football tournament was held on the neighbouring stadiums, in which everyone had the opportunity to participate fostering once again messages of donation, solidarity, healthy competition and physical health.

Football players from the National Team of Cyprus were present, which further enhanced the value of unconditional offer. The years after, when the bazaar was held for a second and third time, professional sports teams participated, which not only were responsible for selling their products-souvenirs and to donating all proceeds to KEPAKY Foundation, but also to realise interactive games and activities for small children. Through this initiative, they raised the social awareness and transmitted the message to everyone that united we are able to accomplish a common objective, because in social offer and donation there is no space for rivalry, hostility and separation among the teams.

Sports, just like volunteerism and donation, placate the fierce senses and the disagreements, bring people closer to each other and create tranquillity, mutual understanding and harmony among them.

Sport and dance schools, such as karate schools and schools of gymnastics, performed their sports disciplines and motivated young and adults to occupy themselves with the respective disciplines, which can help on having a good posture, as well as on developing a character, on educating oneself and on having discipline, since above all the athletes learn to behave and adjust themselves to the environment they are into and to be self-disciplined, which are elements of utmost importance for young people.

In 2011, sports and social contribution and offer became once again interlinked, with the Marathon of Mr. David Simpson, which took place on December 10, at 05:30 in the morning: a genuine and altruistic offer, which further lighted up the path of volunteerism and left its own positive stigma.

Mr. David Simposon, osteopathic and Cyprus champion on Triathlon (swimming, running and cycling) raced for a noble cause: from 2008, each December with the occasion of his birthday, Mr. David carries out a marathon aimint at collecting money, which he then donates to a Foundation and in 2011 the KEPAKY Foundation had the pleasure and the honour to be the selected charitable foundation. Mr. David carried out the marathon by running around 87km from Limassol to Troodos and became an exemplar for everyone, communicating the message that endeavour and efforts are rewarded and that it deserves one to make an effort for a bigger, selfless objective. It was a great pleasure that our Foundation inspired this effort and simultaneously Mr. David from his side became an inspiration for all of us.

On April 6, 2013 and after the very unpleasant events of March 2013, KEPAKY held a solidarity campaign at the premises of Nicos Solomonides basketball fields, where a collection of food was being held for covering the basic needs of individuals and families in need.

The campaign was organised with great success, with the people’s attendance to the fields being very moving, since it offered helped to families that were in extremely difficult conditions.

This deed, albeit not related to sports per se, it is an integral part of the activities of KEPAKY on the field of Sports, not only for being held at the premises of Nicos Solomonides basketball fields, but mostly because it received the support of athletes and football players, who actively contributed in the dissemination of the campaign, for raising people’s awareness on it.

In 2016 and 2017, the Graklion organisation, in view of the Aphrodite Games, it offered to the Foundation a part of its proceeds from the important Crossfit games, which itself reinforces the links between sports and social action and offer.

On January 5, 2017, due to the holidays, the Stoiximan.gr company offered 10 computers to children-members of the Academy of AEL, who face economic and/or social difficulties.

The following Christmas era, and to be specific on December 15, 2017, AEL, Stoiximan.gr and KEPAKY joined hands once again for a common good cause: Stoiximan.gr and AEL offered a significant amount for the continuation of the psychological support programme which is offered to students under KEPAKY’s programme “A hand to youth”.

The cooperation with AEL expands in various activities. A characteristic one was the tree planting organised by KEPAKY Foundation in cooperation with the Academies of AEL and the Community Council of Pelendri, on Sunday, April 2 2017, around the stadium of Pelendri. Young members of the Academy and coaches, together with staff members from Andreas Sofocleous Group of Companies, planted around 70 trees, which were donated by the Department of Forests for the purposes of the event. A representative of the Department of Forests was guiding the procedure, providing useful advice on the tree planting.

On April 10, 2017, KEPAKY, the Academies of AEL and the Karaiskakio Foundation organise a bone marrow sampling for finding a compatible donor for the 15 year old George Mikellides, member of the Academies of AEL.

The same year, on June 27, the Board of KEPAKY Foundation organised a voluntary blood donation and bone marrow sampling at KEPAKY’s premises, in cooperation once again with AEL Podosfairo.

These actions, with the collaboration of AEL, were very important and transmitted the message that in no more than 5 minutes from our lives, can actually offer life to another human being.

The support of AEL helped for this message to have an impact to many more people, which resulted in a large number of people to come for the blood donation and bone marrow sampling.

A programme, similar to “A Hand to youth” is carried out since 2008 for young members of the Academy of Athlitiki Enosi Lemesou, with plenty of love and care.

This action of voucher giving on Easter and Christmas aims at:

• Encouraging children to continue their involvement into sports
• Transmitting the value of volunteerism and the importance of its pursuit in life
• Supporting financially familied in need.

On Easter 2018, 30 families have been benefited with food and clothing vouchers of total value of €3000.

Last but not least, stands KEPAKY’s activity against discrimination and bullying, which takes place since 2015 in cooperation with the football players of AEL, whose presence is very important since they are role models for young people. The rates of bullying have received unpleasant dimensions, thereby it afflicts society to a large extent. At least 1 000 000 children in the world are being bullied every week inside and outside the school environment.

These children are at high risk of developing depression, fears, stress, anger, social anxiety and poor school performance. With 70% of young people have experienced some form of bullying at a certain point in their life, immediate intervention is considered to be necessary for combating bullying.

Within the context of this campaign, an interactive presentation from the Foundation’s Educational Psychologist is being held and together with the football players of AEL, they visit schools where the talk about the phenomenon of bullying and discrimination, promoting unity and respect towards everyone.

The positive impact of football players to children and their experiences on bullying, foster solidarity and tolerance and help young people to realise that bullying can have various forms and has tragic impacts on psycho-emotional world of the individual.

KEPAKY’s participation to the Football People campaign against bullying, organised by FARE Network, which took place on Octover 2017, and which is organised every year with the support of UEFA, was also of great importance. The main aim of this campaign is the elimination of social exclusion and it takes place every October, with more than 100 000 participants.

It is our great pleasure and honour to have AEL collaborating with us for a world with no bullying and no discrimination, because we strongly believe that diversity should be appreciated and embraced by everyone!