The Mary Foundation celebrates tenth anniversary

On 11 September, the charity foundation of Denmark's Crown Princess Mary, The Mary Foundation, celebrated its tenth anniversary this year in the fight against social isolation for children and adults. The foundation is aimed at combating social isolation and works in three areas: Mobility and Well-being, Violence in Home and Solitude.

Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess established the foundation ten years ago. In 2007, the start-up year, a board and a management team were set up, and the organisation held a major meeting to declare the foundation’s creation. Then, the first project, which was against bullying, was started.

The Crown Prince Couple arrives for the anniversary dinner. Photo: Steen Brogaard / Mary Foundation

Just last week, Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary attended a tenth-anniversary dinner alongside the foundation’s presidency, pro bono partners, board and secretariat in Christian VII’s Palace at Amalienborg. Her Royal Highness gave the welcoming speech where she thanked the guests for their work with the foundation over the past ten years and in the years to come.

The Crown Princess participate in an exercise with some children earlier this year at an event to combat bullying. Photo: Steen Brogaard/Mary Foundation

The Royal Danish House highlighted yesterday on their website eight major projects that the foundations has worked over the years:

• Since its inception, the foundation has been working against bullying.
• Each year, the Mary Foundation hands out 2.000 rucksacks for children who are in shelters with their mothers in Denmark, the Faroe Islands or Greenland.
• The foundation assists women with financial and legal assistance who are exposed to violence.
• The foundation helps children with mental disorders as a result of bullying.
• The foundation has its own anti-bullying programme for children in Greenland.
• The foundation has a programme aimed at young students to prevent loneliness.
• The foundation also prevents loneliness in adults through networking.
• The organisation operates a programme that will specifically prevent bullying among young handball players.

HRH The Crown Princess at a conference for the  Mary Foundation. Photo: Steen Brogaard/Mary Foundation

Crown Princess Mary earlier said that she could relate to the feeling of loneliness, which she experienced briefly at 26-years-old when she lost her mother in 1997. However, Her Royal Highness suffered the transitional form of loneliness and not the long-term and harmful loneliness, which is the one targeted in the Mary Foundation.

As Her Royal Highness has said, this foundation works “for the many people who stand alone in this world.” Information about donating to The Mary Foundation can be found here.