3FM Serious Request
14 December 2011
The 3FM Serious Request Glass House is situated in Leiden this year! As tradition has it, the three 3FM DJ’s will be locked into the Glass House on the night of Sunday December 18, only to be released on Christmas Eve.
The Glass House on the water
Leiden is well-known for its canals, and so in 2011 the Glass House will be situated on the water at the Beestenmarkt! A unique situation and a first for the Glass House. Various activities centred around the Glass House will be organised the entire week, with the main focus on the Beestenmarkt. You will find the Serious Request theme all over Leiden. Activities will take place at various central locations which will make it extra interesting to explore the city.
Serious Request is an annual Red Cross (Rode Kruis) fundraising event which is organised by 3FM (Dutch radio channel). Three radio DJ’s will be locked in the Glass House without food, they’ll live on fruit- and vegetable juice for six days. During their stay in the Glass House, the DJ’s will play musical requests 24/7. When your request is played, you are asked to make a donation. A number of famous Dutch people will visit the Glass House in order to help raise money. In addition, an auction of various goods will be organised.
The event always takes place the week before Christmas. In previous years, the glass house has been situated in Utrecht, The Hague, Breda, Groningen and Eindhoven. The musical requests are not the only means of raising money. Throughout the Netherlands, various activities take place which are organised by 3FM and basically just anyone who is up for the challenge: with auctions, sponsored activities and events, a substantial amount is raised by many people.
Every year Serious Request is devoted to a different theme, a so-called ‘silent disaster’. This year Serious Request will be raising money for mothers who have been affected by war or conflict.
Help a mother, save a family
Over ten million mothers are fighting the consequences of war. This can be considered a silent disaster, as these mothers have no means to be heard while they are the silent force of their family. They are forced to flee and consequently lose everything: their safety, their home and their income. The mother stands alone when it comes to taking care of her family. As a woman, she is vulnerable in a war situation. As a mother, she cannot be missed. If she is taken from her family or if she gets hurt, it means her whole family will become disrupted and her children will have to face the world alone.
The Red Cross (Rode Kruis) helps these mothers with shelter, water, food and medical aid. The Red Cross also helps mothers to be reunited with their families and with earning an income.
Together with you, 3FM and the Red Cross want to offer as many mothers as possible a better future together with their families. This one’s for Mama!
