Björn Voss, Moritz Störmer, Jürgen Bohrer and Klaus Fischer were among the first responders who went to help in the Ahr Valley. When they saw the images of destroyed towns and villages, the HÜBNER employees set off together from Kassel to join in the relief efforts. “Our specialist trade and technical skills were urgently needed in the Ahr Valley,” recalls Voss, who works in the maintenance department in HÜBNER Plant 2 in Kassel-Waldau. “Electricians or mechanics were in especially high demand, but basically everyone was welcome who could pick up a hose or handle a shovel.”
Bringing relief supplies to the Ahr Valley with company vehicles
Right from the start, the HÜBNER Group supported Björn Voss and Moritz Störmer in their activities. The two employees were then able to recruit additional colleagues to join in the efforts. Since that time, they have driven several times to the Ahr Valley with company vehicles filled with relief supplies, mostly to a winegrowers’ cooperative located in Mayschoß. To facilitate on-site relief efforts, HÜBNER had already purchased tools and other materials.
“The flooding disaster caused hardship on an unimaginable scale. That’s why we at HÜBNER wanted to help in a way that went beyond the usual steps, especially to support the great commitment coming from our own employees. Instead of giving gifts to our business partners as we usually do, we doubled the annual charitable donation that we traditionally make,” explains General Manager Gerald Steinhoff.
Initially providing aid for families with children who have lost everything
The support from the HÜBNER Group is being delivered to people in need through the Herzenssache Association working in conjunction with the social welfare organization Arbeiterwohlfahrt Rheinland (AWO). “After first directing aid to families with children, we have now concentrated on giving support and advice to people who have lost everything as a result of the flooding,” reports Andreas Zels, AWO Managing Director. Close to the spa park in Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, the AWO has set up containers which have become a popular and in the meantime well-established point of contact for needy residents in the spa town. There are many formalities that need to be taken care in connection with the relief efforts. Zels explains that this is particularly challenging, however, for those people who lost their important personal documents during the flooding.
The Herzenssache Association is a charitable project for children that has been organized by the public media companies Südwestrundfunk and Saarländischem Rundfunk as well as the Sparda-Bank. The association assists children and young people in Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland. “To provide protection, support and strength – that is our mission. The Herzenssache Association helps where people are hurting. The aim of our work is that children and young people living in southwestern Germany have equal opportunities in the long term,” says Dr. Simone Schelberg, the association’s chairperson.
In connection with the flood disaster in Rhineland-Palatinate, the Herzenssache Association is providing short-term, medium-term and long-term support. “Every euro that is donated benefits children, young people and families in the disaster region,” assures Herzenssache Managing Director Gitta Haucke. “Need-based aid requires a good structure and organization. To begin with, we research and check thoroughly where aid from state, federal and municipal sources as well as other charitable sources is being effectively applied and then we provide additional assistance where children, young people and their families need sustainable help.”
