For two years now, we have been supporting charitable initiatives with the sports lessons (converted into a donation) from our virtual Rieck sports club. This year, we called on our employees to suggest projects to be supported. The response was great: we received around 50 inspiring contributions and selected and directly supported three of these projects over the course of the year.
“The feedback has shown us how much social commitment is important to all our colleagues,” explains Gunnar Jung, Managing Director at Rieck. “That’s why we now want to go one step further and have selected a HEART project that we will accompany and support in the long term.”
Spoilt for choice
The projects submitted made it clear which criteria are most important to the employees: the area of children and youth work; a smaller organization where we can make a significant contribution; regional proximity to our headquarters in Großbeeren. Now our Fit For Future steering committee has found the right initiative: Jugendhof Brandenburg gemn.e.V.
The child and youth welfare facility not only offers educationally supervised residential groups and school-like support. It is also a farm where young people can prepare for work in the areas of animal care, woodworking, gardening and agriculture as well as cooking/housekeeping. The socio-ecological concept also focuses on animal education: a therapy horse rounds off the youth work.
“The concept is unique and really appealed to us,” says Gunnar Jung. In addition to the selection criteria, the youth welfare organization scored points with the fact that farming is carried out according to Bioland guidelines and a focus is placed on environmental education and sustainability.
"A huge thank you to Rieck for supporting our young people in their development and fulfillment."
Customized support
As a first step, we help with the purchase of a new therapy horse. In close consultation with the Jugendhof, we then work out what further help is most urgently needed. However, the partnership should go beyond our willingness to donate: “It’s particularly nice that all colleagues can also get personally involved in voluntary work such as helping with the harvest or building stables,” Gunnar Jung sums up. “This creates a completely different connection to the youth farm.” Of course, we provide regular updates about our HEART project and action days on the Rieck channels.
Handing over the check on site (from left to right): Gunnar Jung, Managing Director Rieck; Peggy Kluetzke, Accounting Rieck; Nadin Galan, Secretary Rieck; Gudrun Klinner, Managing Director Jugendhof Brandenburg; Isabell Sandow, Social Pedagogue Jugendhof Brandenburg; Charlotte Jung, Psychologist Jugendhof Brandenburg.