Record donation at Springer’s traditional St. Nicholas Market

Three community projects in the Heidelberg area benefit from a donation of 48,000 euros

Heidelberg, 23 January 2014

An unprecedented amount was raised in 2013 at Springer’s annual St. Nicholas Market. With the support of the management board, the event run by Springer employees in Heidelberg raised a total of 48,000 euros. This year, the money is being donated to three local initiatives in the Heidelberg area: SAM - Sinsheimer Arbeitsgemeinschaft Migration, a project based in Sinsheim for people seeking asylum, the Heidelberg branch of the association for people with mental disabilities Lebenshilfe, and Förderverein Hospiz Agape, a society supporting the Agape hospice in Wiesloch.

Springer staff began preparing for the St. Nicholas Market, which takes place in December, weeks beforehand. They came up with ideas and gave free reign to their creativity. Handicrafts and baked goods were made and a rummage sale was organized. All this activity resulted in 21 stands being set up in the lobby of the publishing house. They also compiled a Springer cookbook with staff members’ favorite recipes. The staff’s efforts raised a total of 24,000 euros. As every year, the money was doubled by Springer Science+Business Media‘s management board, bringing it up to a grand total of 48,000 euros.

For more than 20 years now, the money raised at Springer’s annual St. Nicholas Market has been used to support charitable associations and initiatives in the Heidelberg area that are primarily staffed by volunteers and whose projects help people in the region.

“We are delighted that our staff, at the works council’s initiative, is so committed to upholding the long-standing tradition of donating money through voluntary work. Every year they come up with creative new ideas. I see it as a sign of the positive corporate culture within the publishing company and of our strong ties to the region where one of our largest offices is based,” commented Gregor Karolus, President, Human Resources, at Springer Science+Business Media.

Sinsheimer Arbeitsgemeinschaft Migration (SAM) has been providing childcare by volunteers in the local home for asylum seekers for more than nine years now. Since the spring, however, the premises have been used as accommodation for the many additional refugees. SAM wants to use Springer‘s donation to buy a second-hand construction site trailer, as large as possible, and turn it into a place for the children to play and learn.

Lebenshilfe Heidelberg believes that everyone should be able to organize and lead their lives as best they can, including people with mental and multiple disabilities. Lebenshilfe helps them organize their lives as they wish within the constraints of their disability. The Lebenshilfe staff has been helping people with disabilities since 1961, providing them with support in their everyday lives.

Hospiz Agape is an institution for the terminally ill at the last stage of life. The hospice employees and volunteers provide qualified care and individual support around the clock – for patients and their relatives. The hospice gives these people a place where they can spend the end of their life in dignity, without pain and in a supportive environment.

Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com) is a leading global scientific, technical and medi-cal publisher, providing researchers in academia, scientific institutions and corporate R & D departments with quality content via innovative information products and services. Springer is also a trusted local-language publisher in Europe – especially in Germany and the Netherlands – primarily for physicians and professionals working in healthcare and road safety education. The group employs more than 7,000 individuals across the globe.