Communications and Marketing

Wishing tree: University fulfils Christmas wishes from children and senior citizens

Helferinnen und Helfer Obstkäppchen Wunschbaum 18122024

Friday 20 December 2024

A pair of warm socks, a toy tractor, a doll or a pound of coffee: once again this year, many donors ensured that the H-BRS Wishing Tree campaign was a complete success. In total, the participants wrapped almost 200 presents at the university's campuses in Rheinbach and Sankt Augustin. These have now been presented to children from refugee families and senior citizens affected by poverty in old age in time for Christmas. In Rheinbach, the university organised the campaign in cooperation with the town.

Handing out presents in Bonn: From left: Samira Haase (H-BRS), Henry Werstroh, Annette Stumpp-Meyer, Tünde Dénes, Lina Fries, Moritz Haack (Obstkäppchen). Photo: Pascal Schröder

One week before Christmas, all the wish cards had been removed from the trees and the gift collection rooms were full to bursting. For Esther Hummel, who organised the campaign with the help of the university administration, the fact that the fourth edition of the Wishing Tree also mobilised so many donors is an important sign of social cohesion: ‘Sometimes it seems as if we lose the strength to show solidarity and compassion for those who are not as well off as we are. So it's all the better to see once again how willing people are to signal to these groups that we are thinking of them.’

In Rheinbach, children from refugee families living in the city were once again given presents this year. Around 100 wish cards were hung on the Christmas tree, which, as in the previous year, was erected in the Himmeroder Hof at the Glass Museum due to the flood damage to the campus. Employees from the social welfare department of the city of Rheinbach had collected the children's Christmas wishes in advance.

Wunschbaum Abschluss Geschenkeverteilung 2024

Distribution of presents at the Himmeroder Hof in Rheinbach. Photo: Esther Hummel

The greeting cards on the university tree in Sankt Augustin came from senior citizens from Königswinter, Bonn and Hürth who are affected by poverty and loneliness in old age. The non-profit organisation Obstkäppchen organised the selection of the recipients and the presentation of the gifts. The members of Obstkäppchen deliver a bag of regional, healthy food to senior citizens once a month at several locations in Germany. The organisation was founded by H-BRS graduate Chris Kossack, among others.

For university president Marion Halfmann, the cards handed in show how much the realities of life differ within Germany: ‘For me, it was remarkable how fundamental the wishes of the children and senior citizens were. This makes it clear how important it is to use the Christmas season to make us aware of how well off most of us are.’

Angela Fischer, Chancellor of Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences, added: ‘For me, it was particularly nice to see that many university employees also felt addressed by the campaign and contributed gifts. I would like to express my sincere thanks to them, but also to all the volunteers who organised the gift-giving.’