Social Commitment by Conviction
Helping hands for the Frankfurter Tafel
On a total of three dates, our colleagues busily helped the Frankfurter Tafel with great enthusiasm and joy.
In 1995, Mrs. Hella Schmieder founded the Frankfurter Tafel at the age of 75. Over the years, the Tafel has grown into a remarkable institution in Frankfurt am Main. Today, it maintains more than 10 food distribution points and supports approximately 15,000 needy citizens of the city with these. A total of 180 employees regularly helps to distribute food on a voluntary basis at the Frankfurter Tafel.
We were also able to assist at one of the food distribution points. On one of the three days we helped alone; seven sprinters full of food had to be unloaded. An enormous amount of food! This was then sorted and packed into bags to be handed out to the appropriate people afterwards.
The masses of food, the friendly interactions with each other and the support for each other that we were able to experience at the Frankfurter Tafel cannot be put into words. Therefore, we recommend this experience to everyone. The Frankfurter Tafel is always looking for people to help and/or donate. So if you want to make a contribution, contact the Frankfurter Tafel via their website.
OTRS AG Donates 5000 Euros to The Fun Ball Dortelweil Sports Club
At the end of a somewhat different and sometimes challenging 2020, OTRS AG resolved to once again lend a helping hand to the younger members of society, because despite distance rules and safety measures, sports and exercise remain an important part of adolescent lives. Therefore, OTRS AG supported the sports club Fun Ball Dortelweil with a very special donation of 5000 Euro.
Founded in 1996, the sports club celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2016 and offers a wide range of sports from ball sports to health sports to other athletics. On December 04, 2020, there was a ceremonial handover of the donation in a very small setting with representatives of OTRS AG, the sports club and the best athletes of the athletics squad – all in compliance with the currently existing safety regulations.
The club’s exercise programs are also currently held under a “digital star”: Joint exercise takes place via YouTube videos and virtual meetings. Apart from that, the trainers are passionate about offering Corona-compliant workouts in the fresh air: Teams of two train, one after the other, in the forest with enough distance between them. This sometimes means that the trainer trains two people at a time for five to six hours.
In the context of handing over the donation, two representatives of OTRS AG were allowed to meet today’s best and most ambitious athletes of the athletics squad, and these have also been quite creative in continuing their training successfully this year. One young track and field athlete trains once a week with another athlete to avoid changing contacts. In addition, there is a very sporty WhatsApp group organized by the young athlete. Once a week, they train together via video calls.
We are enthusiastic about these creative ideas that counter the current situation and are pleased to be able to make our contribution here with a donation.
OTRS AG Supports The Women's Shelter in Oberursel
For the OTRS Group staff, it was important to brighten up the lives of the vulnerable women and their children in the shelter at least a little during these difficult times. Over a period of several weeks, all departments collected usable items for donation. Together, they were able to fill ten boxes, including clothing for babies, toddlers and women; drugstore and cosmetic items; toys and household goods (kettles, toasters, curtains and bowls).
The donations were rounded off with a cash donation of € 1,000 from OTRS AG. The women’s shelter’s employees can make particularly good use of the toys to redesign the children’s area.
On October 15, 2020, two representatives of the women’s shelter came to OTRS AG to gratefully accept the donations.
Since 1985, women and their children who are affected by physical or psychological violence in the immediate vicinity have found refuge and support in the women’s shelter in Oberursel.
We Are Committed to Health In Elementary Schools – And Support Class 2000
With Class 2000, children learn for the first time about healthy living — through play. Teachers and specially trained health promoters create 15 hours per school year of education that focus exclusively on health and life skills. We did not hesitate for long in getting involved with this important and interesting project. As part of our CSR activities, we decided to sponsor a third grade class at Karben Elementary School for the 2020/2021 school year.
The Class 2000 project has been making an important contribution to the education of elementary school children since 1991. More than 18,000 school classes participate in the project.
However, the Corona crisis has worsened the situation of children who have a difficult family background in particular; these students especially can benefit from Class 2000.
The symbolic figure KLARO accompanies the children in learning the five themes:
- Healthy eating & drinking
- Moving & relaxing
- Liking yourself & having friends
- Solving problems & conflicts
- Thinking critically & being able to say no
We hope that the children will have a lot of fun on their way to learning about healthy nutrition and development.
Help for Women and Children in Need
Actions caused by the Corona crisis are a challenge for us all. The effects will become clearer the longer this exceptional situation continues. It is not just an issue of lacking social contact, cancelling events or having strict rules and regulations when shopping.
Unfortunately, closures of childcare facilities, social services, and schools, as well as the reduced employment opportunities in more and more households, are leading to tension and stressful situations.
One worst case result means that we are experiencing an increase in domestic violence. After all, life situations and today’s circumstances are very different from normal. Not everyone is lucky enough to live in their own house with a garden so that they can get out. Many people live in cramped big cities without the possibility of avoiding each other.
The cases of domestic violence that occur have resulted in increased numbers of people who seek help from women’s shelters, as is the case in Frankfurt am Main. Shelters where women and children can find protection are more important than ever in these times.
As part of our CSR activities, we have asked our employees for donations to support the women’s shelter in Frankfurt. This enabled us to collect games, toys, books and clothing to donate to this important institution. For each of us, this gesture was a small thing, but for the women’s shelter it was an important help.
We are very happy to have brought some joy to people who are struggling in this crisis.
A Small Gesture With a Big Impact
The Christmas season is, at least in German latitudes, filled with harsh outside temperatures. We are all happy when we return to our warm dwellings from this uncomfortable weather after outdoor activities.
Not all people have this luck. For many homeless people, this season is particularly hard and means a new fight for survival every day. So small practical things can often make life for these people a little easier.
The Street Angels organization has made it its mission to help people with low or no income, and especially homeless people, through public initiatives and practical or financial support. We wanted to support this great cause and called on our staff to collect things like socks, scarves, caps, sweets, hygiene and care items. We packaged these items into boxes to deliver to Street Angels. We were able to hand over 18 boxes to the organization, all packed with useful things, self-written poems and good wishes.
Commitment to Those Without a Voice
It is known that animals have similar sensations to humans, such as strong feelings like fear or sadness.
Most animals in a shelter have a sad history and often have even had bad experiences. Many of them are anxious, distraught or suspicious. Providing hope, courage and confidence to these poor souls is one of the key tasks of the staff in a shelter – along with all the essentials such as feeding, cleaning homes, medical care, etc.
Facilities, such as the shelter in Oberursel, give the animals a second chance – ideally in a new, loving home.
With our commitment, we were able to support the shelter’s employees for a day and help them with many tasks. We fed the animals, cleaned the enclosures and houses, mowed lawns, sanded down doors and much more. Since animal shelters are basically dependent on donations to survive, we were particularly pleased to be able to hand over a check in the amount of EUR 1,000 to support this good and important program.
It was a day that left strong impressions on all of us and certainly inspired one or more of us to become involved privately in the future.
Nourishing Hearts
and Minds
In July 2019, a team of OTRS Inc. employees gathered at the Dorothy Day Soup Kitchen. The soup kitchen has been serving the local community for more than 30 years, providing a warm noontime meal and supportive environment to those in need.
Upon arrival, OTRS Inc. was quickly set to work – opening cans, peeling vegetables, organizing dishes and such. Guests then brought the kitchen to life when they arrived, and the OTRS team made sandwiches, scooped cantaloupe and shared warm welcomes. The overwhelming sentiment among team members can be captured by a quote found on the Dorothy Day Soup Kitchen website from Mother Theresa: If you can’t feed 100 people, then feed just one.
Everyone ended the day feeling motivated to remember the experience and to continue giving back in their own home towns.
Run Smoothly – Run OTRS
That was our motto at this year’s J.P.Morgan Run — at least on the T-shirts. Actually, like all runners, we were not only interested in the personal sporting experience, but also in doing something good with our participation. For each runner, two euro went to the Stiftung Deutsche Sporthilfe and the Deutsche Behindertensportjugend. J.P.Morgan then doubles the sum.
In addition, this sporting event makes a contribution to enhancing values such as team spirit, communication, collegiality, fairness and health. The run in Frankfurt among the largest in the world and took place for the 27th time in 2019. The course runs 5.6 kilometres through Frankfurt’s city center. This year, a total of 62,772 runners from 2,282 companies took part.
OTRS Group provided five runners, each of whom took 43 minutes to cover the specified distance.
A Day With an
Impression
Dealing with the subject of dying is difficult for many people. And yet it belongs to life, so it cannot be avoided. A dignified last few moments without pain is probably the wish of everyone. Making this possible, as well as to accompanying and supporting the dying person’s relatives, is the big and important task of a hospice.
If children are affected, this is particularly difficult, but also particularly necessary. Therefore a social engagement in this area was a real matter of the heart for us. The children’s hospice Bärenherz in Wiesbaden is one of a few of these facilities in Germany.
This day had a long-lasting effect on us. A statement by a member of the hospice staff particularly impressed us, “…despite everything, there is a lot of life here….”
Girl Power at
OTRS Group
From Ice Princesses and Princes
Our first CSR project came into being during the run-up to Christmas 2018. The association “Die Arche – Christliches Kinder- und Jugendwerk e. V.” is committed to combating child poverty and providing socially disadvantaged children with a variety of leisure activities, food, learning opportunities and carefree moments in their often difficult lives.
We wanted to be part of this, so in December, we asked for the children’s Christmas wishes. Contrary to our expectations, they were not interested in toys or clothing. They wanted to go ice skating together. And so we headed to the ice rink on January 9, 2019 with the children. OTRS AG financed the event, including food and travel.
A total of five of our employees accompanied the children on this fun day. In the end, we were no longer sure who became more of an ice princess or prince – the kids or our colleagues.
