CELTIC FC Foundation have made a very special donation in an effort to help the Mexican community after the country was struck by a 7.1 earthquake on September 19, 2017.

The club has donated a total of £10,000 to Fondo Unido México through the Green & Blanco Alliance with Mexican club, Santos Laguna.

Celtic FC have developed strong ties with the Mexican community and the establishment of a co-operation agreement with Club Santos Laguna since 2011. Celtic is now followed by thousands of Mexican nationals

Celtic FC Foundation, the charitable arm of Celtic Football Club has decided to make a generous donation in order to help as many of the affected as possible.

This donation will go to Fondo Unido’s Emergency Fund programme which was set up in order to respond to emergencies caused by climate disasters.  It is committed to solving the main long-term problems that arise after an unexpected event such as the one which occurred last week, an incident which has already taken hundreds of lives and injured thousands of people.

Santos Laguna President, Alejandro Irarragorri said: “I would like to express my deepest and most sincere gratitude to Celtic FC for their help and support in this hard moment for our country. It is in times like these when real friendship is revealed and when true partnerships create value through football around the globe.”

About the Alliance between Santos Laguna and Fondo Unido, which means ‘United Way’, the Santos Laguna President added: “For us it is not only an ally, but it is more a strategic ally, it is a partner in every sense of our work, because, as they say ‘living united we live better’.

“The community work, what they look for in terms of education, health and financial stability for people, totally goes hand to hand with what we pursue and search for.”

Celtic’s Chief Executive, Peter Lawwell, added: “We have witnessed some very distressing scenes from Mexico in recent days, with so many thousands of people affected by these terrible events and tragically, the deaths of so many children.”

“In recent years we have developed a strong bond with Mexico, particularly through our partner club, Santos Laguna and it is important that we show solidarity to the people there.

“We are well aware that the effects of this disaster will resonate for some time and that people and families there will face many ongoing challenges, but hopefully this kind of assistance to the emergency fund can help in some way.   

“We send our thoughts and prayers to the people of Mexico and our friends at Santos Laguna.”  

The Foundation’s Chief Executive, Tony Hamilton, added: “While our primary focus remains delivering projects in the UK and Ireland, we cannot ignore humanitarian incidents that are happening across the globe.

“Clearly we cannot help in every instance but this is one which we felt we should get involved in and our hope is that through Fondo Unido, those affected in Mexico can start to recover from this tragedy.”

Santos Laguna and Fondo Unido have been working together in various Corporate Social Responsibility projects, and have recently formalised a strategic partnership in July 2017 to support all socially responsible initiatives by the Mexican Club.

The logo of United Way also appears on the Santo Laguna jersey since the start of this season, a historical event in Mexican football as it is the first professional football club to include a social endeavour on a jersey.

Fondo Unido are a Private Assistance Institution with 38 years of experience in social investment in Mexico, belonging to United Way Worldwide and building inter-sectorial alliances that allow for the implementation of high-impact programmes, benefitting millions of people annually.