KölnEngagiert: Prize winners celebrate volunteer work in the heart of the city!

KölnEngagiert: Prize winners celebrate volunteer work in the heart of the city!

Once again the heart of the city of Cologne shows itself! The “KölnEngagiert” volunteer award will be awarded on September 7th in the historic town hall. Mayor Henriette Reker will honor numerous outstanding people and organizations who are fully committed to the common good. A total of over 160 application suggestions were received, from which the jury selected the prize winners. Loud Review It is primarily individuals, clubs, a school and a company that have distinguished themselves through remarkable achievements.

The celebrated personalities include Carola Blum, who has been active for the donum vitae Cologne association for over 25 years. As chairwoman for many years, she takes care of numerous aspects of the association's work, including looking after the consultants and financing the projects. Josef Terfrucht, who founded the “Seniors Service Cologne” association in 2000, offers a free cemetery mobile service for seniors. His commitment to working with senior citizens has now led to a second cemetery mobile.

Special awards and engagements

Anne Merkenich receives the special prize for over 25 years of voluntary work in the Rodenkirchen Dementia Network and other organizations. Your commitment as a senior representative shows how important such voices are in society. In this context, the DLRG Cologne should also be highlighted, which has not only been training swimmers for 100 years, but has also been working on a voluntary basis in the water rescue service on the Rhine and Lake Fühlinger. The city of Cologne particularly appreciates this effort because the DLRG has saved numerous lives since it was founded and makes a valuable contribution to water safety.

• Preisträger:
• Carola Blum – donum vitae Köln
• Josef Terfrüchte – Senioren Servicedienste Köln
• Anne Merkenich – Demenznetz Rodenkirchen
• DLRG Köln – Wasserrettung seit 100 Jahren
• Kölner Kreidekreis – Unterstützung für Kinder in der Jugendhilfe
• Antonella Giurano – Offene Welt – Mondo Aperto
• Runder Tisch Frieden Chorweiler – Förderung des friedlichen Zusammenlebens
• Montessori-Grundschule Am Pisterhof – Engagement für Nachhaltigkeit
• ITV Studios Germany – Freiwilligentage und soziale Projekte

Concrete figures show how important volunteering is for society. The 5th German Volunteer Survey showed that around 40 percent of Germans were active as volunteers in 2019. This shows that the commitment in Germany is deeply anchored and is constantly growing. Almost 30 million people have taken part, with women and men now being active at similar rates. This is information that also underlines the importance of the work of the awardees, who bring about positive changes not only in Cologne but beyond the city limits.

This year's award winners are an impressive testimony to the diverse voluntary work that characterizes the city of Cologne. At the celebratory award ceremony on September 7th, the Kölnische Rundschau will present its series of portraits of the award winners and provide exciting insights into their work. Cologne can be proud of such committed citizens.