FIEGE awards prize for volunteering commitment to employees

Over 15 million people in Germany actively volunteer for a charitable cause. The logistics company FIEGE also engages many employees who, next to their job, are engaged in associations, social projects, or charitable initiatives. To encourage this vital service to society amongst its own ranks, the Josef Fiege Stiftung now presented the FIEGE Volunteer Award for the second time.

Jens Fiege, who has been running the fifth-generation, 150-year-old family business with his cousin, Felix Fiege, says: “With this award, we wish to honour the remarkable commitment of our colleagues. After all, such selfless dedication working as a volunteer during one’s free time is anything but a given. At the same time, however, it is extremely valuable since it is this very commitment that creates a warmer and livelier society.” And Felix Fiege adds: “It is quite extraordinary what many of our colleagues do outside of their regular working hours. We wish to help our colleagues with publicising the many great projects and initiatives that they contribute towards, both within and outside of our organisation. We are extremely proud to have this many people amongst our team who work as volunteers and are involved in a good cause.”

The main prize worth 1,000 euros which was presented at the FIEGE headquarters in Greven went to Valeria Leissing. The former employee from the FIEGE branch in Essen dedicates her time to the hospice in Gelsenkirchen. As a volunteer helper, she remains by the side of severely ill and dying people during the last phase of their lives. Leissing says: “Through our work, we aim not to give more days to life, but give more life to people’s days. That is our motto. And because we offer our help at no cost, financial support is even more important. Therefore, the prize money will go entirely towards the work of the association. I am very happy to have received the award and wish to thank the Josef Fiege Stiftung for its support.”

Next to Leissing, a further four FIEGE employees shared the second spot. They were happy to each receive 500 euros. The winners were chosen by a jury which, next to the Foundation’s governing board, also includes the founders, Heinz Fiege and Dr. Hugo Fiege as well as Uschi Fiege and Lisa Fiege. Christoph Mangelmans, who together with Martina Schlottbom, Kai Alfermann and Frank Sievers constitute the Foundation’s governing board, explains: “With more than 30 submissions which all would have merited the FIEGE Volunteer Award, the selection was a difficult one to make. We wish to warmly thank all colleagues who shared their stories with us. In the end, we are convinced to have chosen five very deserving winners.”

Holger Wissemann, Head of Security at the FIEGE headquarters in Greven, received the prize for his contribution during the “Open International Stadtwerke Cup”, an inclusion contest for swimmers with and without disabilities. Dagmer Lemke, order picker at the FIEGE location in Unna, was honoured for her commitment to the Fritz talk café, which allows people afflicted by dementia as well as people feeling lonely and caregiving relatives to enjoy a change to their everyday routine. Claudia Schreiber, a clerk in Accounting with FIEGE in Greven, who as a so-called “initiator” supports people who have been dealt a heavy hand in life with setting up self-help groups, also received the FIEGE Volunteer Award for her actions. And the fourth award went to Ahmad Hamou, an architect at FIEGE Real Estate who received the special recognition for his participation in building a school in Syria and his commitment in helping refugees within the Greven parish.