"On Volunteer Day, the focus is on those people who often work in the background - our volunteers. They are the backbone of our urban society, the silent heroes and heroines of everyday life. Whether in clubs, parishes, social institutions or countless initiatives, they give their time, heart and compassion wherever help is needed. Their commitment is like an invisible net that holds our community together - strong, sustainable and humane. It shows impressively that cohesion is actively lived in our city," emphasized Mayor Frank Klingebiel on Volunteer Day.
"People for people" in Salzgitter: The Green Ladies Malteser Hilfsdienst e.V.
This year, we presented the Green Ladies of Malteser Hilfsdienst e.V. in the "People for People" category. The Green Ladies work with great empathy for patients at Helios Klinikum Salzgitter, giving them time, attention and human closeness. They listen, are present, run small errands - always tailored to individual needs. The focus is not on medical care, but on personal attention and human support. Listening is a central aspect of the Green Ladies' commitment: they take the time to listen and thus make a significant contribution to ensuring that people in difficult situations feel seen and taken seriously.
The Green Ladies have become an integral part of everyday hospital life in many facilities - including Helios Klinikum Salzgitter, where they have been working with great dedication since 1994. The commitment of the Green Ladies was recognized in a special way at the first Volunteer Day in 2001 - an event that took place 24 years ago. Today's presentation is also an opportunity to look ahead: The group has been renewed from within, new volunteers have joined and are continuing this valuable work as a team with just as much heart and dedication - all in the spirit of "people for people". For the Green Ladies, volunteering is a matter close to their hearts. Their message is: "We are there for you." This attitude characterizes their daily actions - and stands for a long and important tradition of voluntary work that is more relevant today than ever.
Special appreciation: Arbeitskreis Stadtgeschichte e.V.
Previous recipients in recent years have included, for example, the DRK bicycle workshop and the Fredenberg secondary school, the SOS Mothers' Center and multigenerational house, the Green Ladies, the trainers from the Salzgitter running club, the ladies and gentlemen of the Old Town Festival Committee and the 29 volunteer local fire departments in Salzgitter. In 2024, the warming center of the Catholic parish of St. Joseph received special recognition.
This year, special recognition was given to the voluntary work of the Arbeitskreis Stadtgeschichte Salzgitter e.V. The Arbeitskreis Stadtgeschichte Salzgitter e. V. has been passionately committed to researching and communicating the history of Salzgitter since the 1980s. The approximately 20 active volunteer members make an invaluable contribution: they invest countless hours of their free time in archive work, educational projects, events and at the memorial and documentation site at the former Drütte concentration camp - either as supervisors or with their own guided tours. Drütte concentration camp is a central place of remembrance, but numerous other places in Salzgitter are also closely linked to the Nazi era and hold important stories. The working group is therefore also dedicated to researching and communicating these diverse local places of remembrance and their history. In addition, the association supports and assists relatives who would like to find out more about the Nazi era in Salzgitter and their personal fates. Especially at a time when historical awareness is coming under increasing pressure, this voluntary work is of great importance. It is not a profession - it is a vocation. Without this voluntary work, an important part of the local culture of remembrance and political education would be lost. Volunteering not only enables the preservation of history, but also creates spaces for dialog, reflection and the communication of democratic values. The working group impressively demonstrates how civic engagement keeps history alive - for the present and future generations. It deserves great thanks and recognition for this.