In 2025, the HOPE Gala will honor the founder of the FLY & HELP Foundation for his commitment to education and development aid.
An award for education and the future
On 27 September 2025, the 15th HOPE Award will be presented at the 17th HOPE Gala at the Schauspielhaus in Dresden. The award goes to Reiner Meutsch, founder and chairman of the FLY & HELP Foundation. His organization has already collected more than 50 million euros in donations and built almost 1,000 schools in developing countries. "I didn't just want to see the world from above, I wanted to leave something lasting behind," Reiner Meutsch recalls. "Education is the basis for development, self-determination and peace. Every school is therefore not just a building, but a bridge to a better future."
Acknowledgement by the HOPE Board of Trustees
The HOPE Board of Trustees traditionally selects the winner. Viola Klein, initiator of the HOPE Gala, emphasizes: "I find what Reiner Meutsch has achieved with his FLY & HELP Foundation absolutely admirable. The foundation has zero administrative costs because Reiner Meutsch pays them privately or from sponsorship money. His aim is to give many children access to education, and this is a wonderful link between his foundation and our HOPE Cape Town project. Because education is the key to a better future!"
Gala evening with Stefanie Hertel
The laudatory speech for the award winner will be held by singer and presenter Stefanie Hertel, who has already accompanied Meutsch on several charity tours. "I admire Reiner Meutsch, who has worked hard for his fortune from an early age and is now doing so much good with it," said Hertel. "The FLY & HELP Schlager tours make so many people happy: the artists who get to perform in a great location, the fans who get to experience a great night of pop music on their trip and be close to their stars and, above all, the many children who finally get the chance to go to school." Together with her husband Lanny Lanner and daughter Johanna Mross, she will also be performing with the family band MORE THAN WORDS. Johanna will also present her first single as "JOEŸ".
The HOPE Award and the gala
This year, the HOPE Award statue was newly designed by artist Ulrich Eißner and produced at the MEISSEN porcelain manufactory. "For us, the HOPE Award is more than just a prize - it is a sign of hope, cohesion and the future that we are shaping together," explains Dr. Tillmann Blaschke, CEO of the manufactory. The HOPE Award has been presented since 2006 and is endowed with 5,000 euros, donated by Autohaus Dresden GmbH. Previous winners include Bob Geldof, Rita Süssmuth and Harry Belafonte. Tickets for the HOPE Gala are available at www.hopegala.de and cost between 220 and 260 euros, depending on the seat category. The price includes the gala program, champagne reception and after-show party.
👉 You can also find more background information on the HOPE Gala at DieSachsen.de.
