ZAPF GmbH organizes game console competition.
SOS Children’s Villages Germany is 60 years old. The facility in Immenreuth celebrated the anniversary on June 13 with a day of festivities for the whole family. ZAPF GmbH, which has supported the Children’s Village as a partner since 2012, was also on site with its training company, ZAPF Young.
The official celebratory program began at 10 a.m. with an ecumenical church service. Alfred Schuster, the director of the Immenreuth facility, then welcomed the guests, and Dr. Kay Vorwerk, the managing director of SOS Kinderdorf e. V., and Minister of State Emilia Müller gave the speeches.
The anniversary was duly celebrated with a colorful afternoon for the whole family from 1 p.m. on the entire grounds of the SOS Children’s Village. There was a colorful program for all age groups. On the village square, visitors could try their hand at slacklining or crate climbing, among other things. The children and staff of the facility sold sweets, homemade cakes, and cocktails. And those who waited patiently in the long queue could have a pizza topped to their liking at the pizza trolley. There was also live music, show performances by the children and young people, and a soccer match against a friendly children’s village from Zwickau. There was a theater performance in the children’s village hall, and even archery and horseback riding were possible at the log cabin on the Flötzbach.
The ZAPF Young team provided a special offer. They organized a games console competition. The garage manufacturer’s trainees had Wii and Xbox consoles in their luggage. A ZAPF prefabricated concrete garage set up especially for the day served as the venue. “There was a huge rush of people here. Many children of all ages wanted to show off their skills at Wii Sports and Xbox Kinect Sports and beat the high score,” says Monika Leimcke from ZAPF GmbH. The winners were finally announced at around 4 p.m. and were delighted to receive great prizes, such as a mountain bike. But even less experienced console players did not go away empty-handed but were able to choose a ZAPF drinking bottle or gym bag.
However, the trainees at ZAPF GmbH want to do more than just contribute to the festivities. They therefore offer job application training for the young residents of the children’s village. The aim is to provide the participants with practical help and tips to make their entry into working life easier. ZAPF also introduces itself as a training company. The current company trainees will also answer any questions about the apprenticeships offered by the company. The first registrations have already been received at the anniversary celebration. ZAPF is also supporting the renovation of one of the houses in the SOS Children’s Village together with the Lions Club Bayreuth-Kulmbach. Work is already underway. The house should be ready for occupancy in September and provide a comfortable home for five children and a mother from the Children’s Village.
Background
The SOS Children’s Village in Immenreuth offers children and young people from difficult family backgrounds a new home. Around 90 young people between the ages of one and 17 currently live here in eight children’s village families and four residential groups. ZAPF GmbH has been supporting the facility in Immenreuth since 2012. The SOS Children’s Village association was founded by the Austrian Hermann Gmeiner. The first SOS Children’s Village home was built 60 years ago in Dießen am Ammersee. Today, the association is represented by over 2,000 facilities in 134 countries.
Picture: Ingrid Krauß, Head of Training at ZAPF GmbH (2nd from left), and the ZAPF Young team congratulated the six winners.
