Appreciation event honors volunteer work in Jena

Volunteer fire departments, childcare, telephone counseling, cultural associations - without volunteers, many aspects of public life in the city of Jena would not exist or would not exist in their usual form. "The city of Jena is very aware of the special importance of volunteering for our community," said Lord Mayor Dr. Thomas Nitzsche at today's celebration for volunteers in the historic town hall. He therefore wanted to use this event at least once a year to express his thanks to a few volunteers on behalf of the many others.

Great response to the city's invitation

The city has been inviting volunteers to a thank-you event for many years. More than 60 clubs, associations, departments, daycare centers and schools as well as individuals from Jena had submitted proposals for participation in this evening. They nominated people who did special work on a voluntary basis, which was enormously important for other people and could hardly or not at all be done otherwise. Of the 180 or so volunteers nominated, around 130 accepted the invitation.
"I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere thanks and appreciation for your commitment, your time and energy and your care! Volunteering is not just a function that is performed, it is humanity in action," said the Lord Mayor. "Without you, our urban society would be much poorer, it would be unthinkable how our lives could and should function."

Volunteer card as a sign of recognition

As part of the ceremony, the honorary card from the Honorary Advisory Board was also presented: 53 men and women nominated received such a card, with which they can use offers from JenaKultur and the Jena swimming pools at a discount, among other things. The Jena Volunteer Prize, which is only awarded every two years, will be presented again next year to honor people for their exceptional volunteer work.

Cultural supporting program

The Carl Zeiss Jena e.V. brass band provided the musical accompaniment for the evening.

Background information

There are no official and reliable figures on civic engagement in Germany. Estimates assume that around one in three people are active in some form of voluntary work. Applied to Jena, this would mean up to 30,000 people who volunteer on a large or small scale.