- The inclusion project presented by Baskonia (Mixed Ability) was the most voted initiative in this edition of Endesa and the ACB's social programme. Mixed Ability is an initiative that includes people both with and without disabilities in the same team.
- Online voting took place between 7 and 20 July and more than 10,000 votes were recorded, enough to fill a basketball venue. A clear example of the growing consolidation of this programme and the social commitment of the community of basketball fans.
- All the projects will get a share of the prize money totalling €15,000. This edition of Liga Endesa de Corazón started with the submission of more than 200 stories from which five finalists were selected. Today we found out who the winner was.
Basketball right from the heart for everyone. This is how they understand it and how they work in Vitoria-Gasteiz, where the Baskonia Mixed Ability initiative has just been chosen by fans throughout Spain as the winner of this edition of Liga Endesa de Corazón 22-23. Thanks to all everyone they take €4,500 to continue giving strength and structure to a project that aims to improve the lives of people both with and without disabilities using basketball as an essential vehicle.
The Baskonia Endesa Basketball League Club's project consists of players with some sort of social-cognitive disability or other specific needs together with fully functional players in what is an added value experience for all concerned. With the support of Endesa and the ACB in May they enjoyed two days that they will remember all their lives when they shared time, enthusiasm and the court with the Baskonia players, playing a leading role for a day when they played a very special match on the Buesa Arena court.
For Nuria Zapatero, social integrator for Baskonia Mixed Ability, the key to the project is that by including people with disabilities with others who do not "enables us to change how we see the reality, showing a fairer, more egalitarian society. We formed two teams, one male and one female and generated an atmosphere, a social network for people both with and without disabilities, providing support at an integral level, both on and off the court."
At the end of this edition of the programme, Endesa and the ACB reaffirmed their commitment to solidarity projects and causes that contribute to making the world a better place, using basketball as an indispensable vehicle for social transformation. Through the Liga Endesa de Corazón, both organisations aim to promote values including solidarity, companionship and inclusion. This will demonstrate the power of sport to generate a positive impact on society.
Baskonia and its Mixed Ability initiative were proclaimed the winners, but in reality, in the Liga Endesa de Corazón everyone is a winner. The second place went to the SUMA Project presented by Gran Canaria, with a prize of €3,500. The third prize of €3,000 went to UB Llefiá. The fourth project with the highest number of votes was "Basketball in motion", which was awarded €2,250. The last finalist was Rural Hoops and they will get €1,750 to continue strengthening their social project. With each of them, Endesa and the ACB took or supported an action aimed at enabling them to grow and become stronger, as well as making them visible and searching for synergies throughout the campaign.
Today, 21 July, we celebrate the 12th anniversary of the start of the historic agreement between Endesa and the ACB, giving its name to the Liga Endesa, the Supercopa Endesa and the Minicopa Endesa, and together we have been promoting the Liga Endesa de Corazón social project for two years now. With this programme, Endesa and the ACB are looking to promote social transformation through the values of basketball: Equality, sustainability, companionship and hard work.
For more information on Liga Endesa de Corazón and to better understand how each of this year's finalists works, visit our official website on www.ligaendesadecorazon.com.
About Endesa
Endesa is a leading electricity company in Spain and the second largest in Portugal. The company is also the second largest gas operator in the Spanish market. Endesa operates an end-to-end electricity generation, distribution and marketing business. Through Endesa X it also offers value-added services aimed at the electrification of energy usage in homes, companies, industries and Public Administrations. It is also the leading operator of charging stations in Spain through Endesa X Way, a business line dedicated entirely to electric mobility. Endesa is firmly committed to the United Nations SDGs and strongly supports the development of renewable energies through Enel Green Power España, the digitalisation of grids through e-distribución, and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The Endesa Foundation is also active in CSR. Our workforce numbers around 9,260 employees. Endesa is a division of Enel, the largest electricity group in Europe.