A St. Nicholas Day market for a good cause

Three social projects from the Rhine Neckar region will reap the benefits of Springer’s traditional St. Nicholas Day market

Heidelberg, 13 January 2015

In December 2014, the annual St. Nicholas Day market at the scientific publishing house Springer once again moved many to donate for charitable causes. Thanks to the combined efforts of Springer staff in Heidelberg and the support of the Senior Management, a total of 31,020 euros was collected. This year the proceeds will be split between three social institutions in the Rhine Neckar region: Amalie - Beratungsstelle für Frauen, a women’s counselling center; the homeless support organization Obdach e.V.; and the child and youth support center Orthos e.V. - Hilfe aus Leidenschaft.

Weeks prior to the event, countless staff members were busy putting the finishing touches on ideas for the 19 booths, so that everything would be ready in time for the publishing house to open its doors to employees, their families and friends on 6 December, St. Nicholas Day. And their hard work paid off, bringing in an impressive 15,510 euros. As in previous years, this amount was then matched by the Senior Management of Springer Science+Business Media, resulting in a whopping total of 31,020 euros.

“The dedication of our colleagues and the publishing house has a long tradition, one we’re proud of and not simply part of the company’s ‘social governance.’ Rather, it is a concrete expression of our largest German location’s commitment to supporting the local region. Every year our colleagues, together with representatives of the Works Council, select which projects should be supported, choosing ones that reflect a broad range of at-risk groups and approaches to helping people in need,” explains Gregor Karolus, President of Human Resources at Springer Science+Business Media.

With the help of this fund-raising drive, Springer’s Heidelberg offices have supported charitable associations and initiatives in the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region for well over 20 years. This year, three institutions will receive donations of 10,340 euros each.

(left to right) Robert Schönbach, Jörg Schreiber, Julia Wege, Birgit Kolb, Alex Füller, Tom Weigel, Ben Feuchter, Sabine Bartels | © Springer

About the recipients: The Orthos e.V. association supports socially disadvantaged and at-risk children and adolescents, helping them to develop into responsible and socially integrated individuals. Since 2013, the counseling center Amalie has offered a haven for women involved in prostitution in Mannheim, providing medical and psychological advice and support. The goal of Obdach e.V. in Heidelberg is to not only support the homeless on the street, but to help them find their way off the street.