Johannes Wagner receives the Federal Cross of Merit for decades of volunteer work

Johannes Wagner receives the Federal Cross of Merit for decades of volunteer work

A celebratory award ceremony took place today in the Hessian State Chancellery, which set the stage for a remarkable voluntary commitment. Johannes Wagner, 70 years old, was honored with the Federal Cross of Merit after serving in various positions as a leader in his community for over 40 years. The award was ceremoniously presented by State Secretary Michael Ruhl, who in his speech emphasized the importance of volunteer work and recognized Wagner's outstanding achievements. Op Marburg reports that Wagner began his political involvement in 1981 as a member of the local advisory board.

Wagner's time as mayor of Wollmar, which lasted from 1991 to 2011, is particularly impressive. Under his leadership, the town celebrated its 1,225th anniversary in 2006 and secured state victory in the “Our Village has a Future” competition in 2003, which resulted in third place at the national level. These achievements are the result of years of hard work and passion that Wagner invested in the community. He is also active in numerous clubs, including the border crossing, agricultural, sports and small animal breeding clubs as well as the fire department and the trombone choir.

Diverse commitment and community life

Wagner was not only politically active, but also socially active. From 1981 to 1993 he was treasurer of the forest interests and from 1985 to 2021 he was parliamentary group leader of the CDU in the Münchhausen community representative assembly. Another important component of his commitment was his active role in the district council between 2001 and 2011. He was also involved in the farmers' association, both as local chairman and deputy chairman of the district farmers' association. His connection to agriculture remains unchanged; In 2019 he handed over his dairy farm with 40 cows to his son Christian and continues to actively help with the business.

Johannes Wagner is not only a political but also a personal role model and maintains a good relationship with the SPD chairman of Münchhausen, Hans-Martin Seipp. After the award ceremony, Wagner plans a drink on his farm and invites the entire village to celebrate together. A nice end to a day that is characterized by recognition for outstanding voluntary commitment.

Volunteering in Germany

The commitment of a person like Wagner is not only locally important, but reflects a much larger picture. According to the Federal Government Millions of people in Germany are involved in a wide variety of areas, from emergency services to music clubs to local politics. Volunteering not only leads to greater social cohesion, but also promotes democracy and participation in charitable tasks.

The development of volunteer work in recent years is particularly remarkable. The coalition agreement introduced several measures to strengthen volunteer work, including a future pact for volunteer work, which increases the flat rate for trainers and the flat rate for volunteer work and reduces bureaucratic hurdles. Such initiatives help to create a motivating environment for those involved and to give their valuable work the recognition it deserves.

Volunteering is not only a voluntary, unpaid activity, but also a core part of our society. How Statista emphasizes, there are numerous opportunities to volunteer, be it in sports clubs, the volunteer fire department or charitable organizations. International Volunteer Day on December 5th reminds us how important these contributions to the social fabric are.