Volunteer leaders honored at events in Schweinfurt and Pforzheim

At a ceremony in Schweinfurt on 27 June 2026, the Lebenshilfe Schweinfurt organization recognized five long‑term volunteers of its Offenen Hilfen programme – Yvonne Edler, Tamara Niedoba, Brunhilde Kelm, Sabine Mitesser and Marianne Rösch – for supporting roughly 250 people with various disabilities. Director Martin Groove and the incoming programme head Stefan Heidempergher highlighted the crucial role of volunteers and noted the challenge of recruiting and retaining them for the future.

A week later, the Enzkreis and city of Pforzheim held a Würdigungsabend on 9 July 2026, gathering about 270 volunteers. Mayor Sabine Wagner, Landrat Bastian Rosenau and Mayor Tobias Volle praised volunteers as “the silent engine of a functioning society”, and a solo performance by Lukas Aue capped the evening. Both events underscored the belief that volunteer work is a fundamental pillar of community life in Germany.