Prince Ludwig honors local volunteers - strong together for the future!

Prince Ludwig honors local volunteers - strong together for the future!

Volunteering Day on December 5th is not only celebrated as a special occasion, but also represents a valuable opportunity to recognize the great commitment to society. The ceremonial awarding of the Isar Loisach Medal on December 7, 2025 in the Baroque Hall of the Benediktbeuern Monastery exemplified this spirit in an exemplary manner. The medal is being awarded by the Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen district for the 25th time and serves as a visible sign of thanks and recognition for exceptional voluntary work, such as lra-toelz.de explained. Five outstanding personalities were honored at this year's award: Thomas Lechner, Georg Orterer, Ralph Seifert, Helgard von Hülsen and Barbara von Uthmann.

Volunteering is becoming increasingly important for Prince Ludwig of Bavaria. He explains that for him this is his “main job” and is involved worldwide by supporting educational projects such as the “Learning Lions” IT course and the development of schools and churches on Lake Turkana in Kenya. This attitude was recognized at the awards ceremony, where he emphasized the importance of community and cohesion. Deputy District Administrator Thomas Holz added that around 40 percent of the population in Bavaria works on a voluntary basis, which shows that volunteer work forms an essential foundation for our society.

The award winners in detail

The honored individuals have been doing valuable work in their respective areas for decades:

• Thomas Lechner hat sich über 48 Jahre als Jugendtrainer beim Lenggrieser SC engagiert und ist zudem Vorsitzender der Kreisjugendleitung im BLSV-Sportkreis Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen.
• Georg Orterer ist seit 1970 in der Gebirgsschützenkompanie Königsdorf aktiv und hat den Gaujugendtag ins Leben gerufen.
• Ralph Seifert setzt sich seit 2005 als Behindertenbeauftragter des Landkreises für die Belange von Menschen mit Behinderung ein.
• Helgard von Hüllen leitet die Außenstelle des Weißen Rings in Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen und engagiert sich seit über 30 Jahren für Kriminalitätsopfer.
• Barbara von Uthmann hat in der Erwachsenenbildung Pionierarbeit geleistet und vielfältige Veranstaltungsreihen initiiert.

The Isar Loisach Medal is awarded to special voluntary activities, such as lra-toelz.de describes. Proposals must be submitted by authorized persons and should continue to keep a balanced gender ratio in mind.

Volunteering in Germany

The value of volunteering is undisputed in society. Loud statista.de In 2025, around 16.9 million people in Germany would volunteer. This commitment is not only voluntary, but also a sign of a strong sense of community. Voluntary activities often include activities in sports clubs, volunteer fire departments, churches and charitable organizations. Young adults in particular do voluntary work as part of “gap years” and gain important experience in the process.

The importance of this social responsibility is shown by the debates about the introduction of a compulsory social year for young adults. The focus should continue to be on the intrinsic motivation to volunteer so that volunteering retains a central place in our society.