From support for inclusion to a circus camp

For the twelfth year running we have asked our most important commercial partners to replace the usual Christmas gifts for employees with donations to local education programmes; alternating between schools and kindergartens.

The 2014 campaign “Donations instead of Christmas Gifts” was once again impressive with a total of 61 participating firms and donations ranging from €20 to €1,500 (the latter corresponding to the Radevormwald municipal services). Thanks to our donation-matching, which effectively doubles the amount raised, a grand total of €20,350 resulted in €1,850 for each of the eleven schools involved.

At this point we would like to emphasise once again, that the original idea, which dates back to 2003, was not merely a board-level decision, but rather an initiative supported by the entire workforce. It is important to remember that our employees are fully behind this initiative, and gain substantial satisfaction from its outcomes. We all regard the proper upbringing of our children as something essential and worth promoting; hence our special support also for those responsible for their care and education.From the left: Frank Hölterhoff (Head of Purchasing at Kuhn Special Steel), Hubert Weber (Anne Frank School), Stefan Berghaus (GGS local organisation), Marc Droste (Lindenbaum Catholic Primary School / KGS), Sibylle Lorenz (Radevormwald Municipal Secondary School), Vanessa Adamek (Lindenbaum Catholic Primary School), Cornelia Peine (Scholl School), Ralf Miessen (THG Radevormwald e.V.), Manfred Schinner (Hückeswagen training college – a private initiative of local businesses), Marion Zimmermann-Hall (GGS Bergerhof), Eric Schlicker (GGS Wupper e.V.), Thilo Mücher (Bergisch Land training college), Frank Lessing (CFO of Kuhn Special Steel)

“We are absolutely excited!”
This commitment is heartily welcome in these times of tight finances affecting the towns and municipalities of our region, with the knock-on effect of fewer resources for education budgets. As a contented Stefan Berghaus of GGS, an organisation that helps the local primary schools of Radevormwald, says: “We are absolutely excited!” Parts of the donation GGS received are to be used, respectively, for an educational inclusion programme and a “Drum Day”, in which professional musicians entertain schoolchildren with some 300 percussion instruments and invite them to join in.

The general feeling of excitement also applies to the organisation GGS Wupper, as related by its representative Eric Schlicker, with a large part of its assigned donation going into a one-week circus camp and various vital acquisitions. He describes both the regularity of the donations and the amounts involved as “absolutely unique”.

“Special children need help and encouragement to match”, is how Kerstin Stennmanns of the Friends of the Armin Maiwald School puts it, when referring to the money destined for important projects like violence prevention or breaktime activities. She regrets the fact that special schools are rarely awarded grants of any kind, and is therefore especially pleased with the generous donation made by Kuhn Special Steel.

Other schools benefiting from this donation initiative are

• Theodor Heuss Secondary School, Radevormwald
• GGS Bergerhof, Radevormwald
• KGS Lindenbaum, Radevormwald
• Radevormwald Municipal Secondary School
• Scholl Secondary School, Radevormwald
• Anne Frank School, Wipperfürth
• Hückeswagen Training College – a private initiative of local businesses
• Bergisch Land Training College, Wermelskirchen

Leading with a good example
Virtually all educational establishments have increasing needs, whether in terms of funding for school trips, lab facilities and other technical equipment, software licenses or special assistance for disabled children.

Our region depends on such initiatives when it comes to offering local residents an attractive environment for their personal and professional development, and it would be a great shame if young families were to move away because of a lack of such facilities. Other business organisations are indeed also familiar with this phenomenon, but our goal is to set high standards with our commitment in this respect.

That is also why we are committed not only to continue with this initiative in coming years, but also to increase its impact wherever possible and we can count with the full support of the entire workforce.

Photo: Kuhn Edelstahl