The Ottobock junior company is donating a total of 4,000 euros to the Duderstadt animal shelter and the German Red Cross (DRK) Duderstadt district association. As is tradition, this year's profits from the sales of the ‘Ottobock JuFi’ will once again benefit charitable causes in the region.

When the donation cheque was handed over at the Duderstadt animal shelter, director Beate Horn was delighted with the trainees' initiative to support the facility: ’Every single donation really does help us, so I'm happy that the junior company thought of us. We will use the generous sum not only to pay food and vet bills, but also to finance our new heating system,’ says Beate Horn.

The animal shelter of the Duderstadt Animal Welfare Association has been in existence since 1989 and has been repeatedly expanded and modernised over the last few decades. Today, in addition to the office building, the animal shelter offers an emergency cat shelter, three small cat houses with outdoor enclosures, a dog house with heated indoor and bright outdoor areas and five fenced-in free-range areas for dogs.

‘We are very proud that we can do something good in the region through our work again this year,’ says Lia Zaigler from the Ottobock junior company, who, like every year, selected two regional organisations together with her colleagues to receive a donation.

In addition to the animal shelter, the ‘JuFi’ also made a donation of 2,000 euros to the German Red Cross in Duderstadt. In his role as DRK district association chairman, Markus Teichert, together with Managing Director Claudia Moneke, welcomed the young Ottobock employees and told them about the special connection between the DRK and Ottobock in Duderstadt during a tour of the DRK site. Both Dr Max Näder and Prof Hans Georg Näder were involved on the board of the DRK Duderstadt for decades, and Ottobock employees are still active on the board and in the association today. ‘Ottobock has been our partner for decades. I think it's great that the junior company is now also supporting us,’ says Markus Teichert and adds: ’We will use the donation to purchase new jackets for the Red Cross Youth. So the money not only stays in the region, but also goes to young people who could really use it.’

‘I'm glad that we can support the local voluntary work with the help of the junior company. Learning even more about the work of the volunteers here in Duderstadt has reinforced our decision,’ explains apprentice Arne Rahm on behalf of the junior company.

JuFi generated the 4,000 euros itself: as a ‘company within a company’, they generate real revenue from the sale of their own products such as drinking bottles and thermo mugs, services and a hire service. The junior company also creates transparency for the trainees with regard to the interaction between the different areas in the company and teaches them important skills and competences.

Photo captions

1. Sarah Höppner (left) and Mirjam Schmidt (right) from the Duderstadt animal shelter accept the donation from the Ottobock junior company from Lia Zaigler, Natalie Sophie Herbst and Julia Tschmarke (from left). Photo: Ottobock

2. Handing over the donation to the DRK in Duderstadt: (from left) Arne Rahm, Anna-Lena May and Julia Tschmarke from the Ottobock junior company with the organisation's Managing Director Claudia Monecke and Markus Teichert (1st Chairman). Photo: Ottobock