WITH HEART AND HAND - VOLUNTEER WORK: PART II

WHERE DO YOU VOLUNTEER, AND HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED?

KATHARINA: I volunteer as a choir director in our local youth choir, which is made up of 18 active members. Children can sing in our choir after their first communion, so usually starting at the age of nine. Our performances range from church services and festive Sundays in marquees to weddings, christenings and concerts. I used to be part of the youth choir myself, which was under the direction of my dad back then. When he asked me in 2019 whether we wanted to reactivate the choir, we restarted the project together with two other leaders. Our choir has continued to grow over the years and members of the former choir have also joined again.

ALEX K.: Not only are we a well-coordinated team in IT, but also in our joint volunteer work at THW, the German national Technical Relief Service. The local branches of the THW operate in their respective regional operational areas, but also nationwide or even abroad. I've been involved for almost ten years now. In the beginning, I was looking for a meaningful job where I could have fun, experience extraordinary things and do something good for society. I quickly realised that I wanted to do something with “blue light”. The diverse technical tasks and the sense of community convinced me. Since then, I’ve been passionate about the THW.

Alex (B.) and I got to know each other at Marc O'Polo while he was training to be an IT specialist. Through our friendship and my personal insights into THW life, I was able to get Alex interested in volunteering three years ago. Since then, we've been working together in the water damage and pumping section of the THW local organisation in Rosenheim.

WHAT DOES YOUR VOLUNTEER WORK LOOK LIKE?

KATHARINA: My tasks include preparing rehearsals and new songs, and communicating, organising and planning in regard to requests for our performances.

ALEX K. & ALEX B.: The time after an operation is the time before the next operation. In addition to deployments and technical assistance, our work includes taking care of pumps, lorries, hoses, electrical equipment, tools, etc. Training courses are planned and carried out, meetings are held and, of course, socialising should not be neglected. We also support our THW youth at training courses and camps. We sometimes spend several days a week at the THW, myself as group leader and Alex B. as a specialist helper. At the end of the year, this sometimes adds up to 500 to 1,500 hours of voluntary work.

HOW CAN WORK AND VOLUNTEERING BE COMBINED? DOES MARC O'POLO SUPPORT YOU, AND HAVE YOU EVER USED THE BENEFIT OF THE TWO DAYS OF SPECIAL LEAVE FOR YOUR COMMITMENT?

KATHARINA: My colleagues support me whenever I have to leave a little earlier for a choir rehearsal. I haven't used the special leave day yet, but I will definitely take advantage of this opportunity in the near future.

ALEX K. & ALEX B.: In order to be able to help promptly in the event of an emergency, quick and uncomplicated support is necessary in the workplace. This is an important aspect for both of us when choosing our employer. We experience very good support from the team here and, thanks to our manager, we have found a simple arrangement to be able to act quickly in the event of an emergency. This gives us security and shows Marc O'Polo's appreciation for volunteer work. An example is the recent storm and flooding situation, where we both travelled directly from work to Neubeuern for two days in the early afternoon. But we have also found a solution for further training and deployments in Germany. Last year, Alex K. was able to use two days of special leave for a youth camp and keep his own holiday for relaxation and recovery.

WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT YOUR VOLUNTARY WORK?

KATHARINA: It's especially nice to see children's joy when they sing and how much fun they have with the choir and the performances. Positive feedback from our audience also motivates me to continue working on this project.

ALEX K. & ALEX B.: Taking part and helping where help is needed. Looking back on major operations, such as the G7 summit, the flood disaster in Ahrtal and the transport of materials during the Covid pandemic, you experience things that you would never see in civilian life. We also really enjoy the technical work, driving THW emergency vehicles and youth work. Thanks to the strong sense of community and the many shared experiences, THW has become a second family for both of us.

HAS VOLUNTEERING EVER PRESENTED YOU WITH CHALLENGES?

KATHARINA: Of course. As choir director, you are not only responsible for the group, but also for the success of the performances. But thanks to the good team spirit and the support of our two other choir leaders, we manage this quite well and have been able to keep up with all challenges so far.

ALEX K. & ALEX B.: To drive or not to drive, that is often the question. If your beeper goes off while you are accompanying the technical detail of an important appointment, for example, you first have to find a suitable replacement before leaving. It's not always easy to keep your head in the game when you know that help is needed elsewhere.

WHAT PLANS DO YOU HAVE FOR YOUR FUTURE INVOLVEMENT?

KATHARINA: My wish and goal is to be able to perform great concerts in the future and continue to grow together with the choir.

ALEX K. & ALEX B.: Being involved in the THW is an important task for us in society. That's why we both work on advancing our specialised group—each in our own role—and also regularly train ourselves. Depending on how severe weather conditions develop in the future, we can expect more deployments. Accordingly, we need to be well trained so that we can help effectively and always return home safely.