BRK Freising honors committed members: 50 years for the community!

BRK Freising honors committed members: 50 years for the community!

A celebratory honor for long-standing members of the Bavarian Red Cross (BRK) recently took place in the Freising district office. District Administrator Helmut Petz presented the BRK decorations in the large meeting room and recognized the commitment of the volunteers. Membership for 25 years included, among other things Barbara Schuhbauer from Allershausen as well as the groups from Eching, Langenbach and Nandlstadt were honored. Some people from Neufahrn were also happy about the award Florian Helmberger and Marco Sterlemann.

In addition, the members who have been active for 40 years received the Gold Medal of Honor. Among those honored are: Alice Gaudlitz from Eching as well Theresa Emmer from Freising. The veterans who have already served for 50 years, like Bernd Schönfeld and Martin Maier, were also highly praised.

Important missions of the BRK

The BRK Freising is not only active in the context of the honors, but also provides valuable help in times of crisis. The association recently helped with the drone alarm at Munich Airport, where 60 volunteers from the Erding and Freising district associations were present. They provided stranded passengers with cots and food, like ed live reported. In this tense situation, various organizations, including the police, fire brigade and airport operators, worked hand in hand.

In addition, the BRK made a significant contribution to containing the virus during the corona pandemic by operating both test routes and vaccination centers in the district. The conversion of a sports hall in Moosburg into an initial reception center for refugee Ukrainians was also their responsibility. In June 2024, BRK employees were challenged when they evacuated numerous seniors from a home during flooding and rescued people trapped there by boat.

Volunteering in transition

Commitment in Germany has its challenges. According to a study by the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance [BBK], around 1.76 million volunteers aged 18 and over are involved in civil defense and disaster protection. This corresponds to a commitment rate of around three percent of the population. The study shows that women in particular are severely underrepresented in traditional aid organizations; here the proportion is only 20 percent.

One of the key findings is that despite the high demand for volunteers, many organizations find it difficult to recruit new members. Only around a third of the organizations surveyed stated that they had enough members to cope with the increased demands. The BBK study also suggests promoting volunteer commitment through better compatibility of work and volunteer work and the reduction of bureaucracy.

Initiatives such as the “No matter what you can do, you can help” campaign aim to specifically target underrepresented groups in order to increase diversity in volunteer work and attract new members.

Recognition of the commitment and tireless efforts of volunteers is of great importance. District Administrator Petz and BRK district manager Albert Söhl also recognized the volunteers' achievements and recalled the roots of the Red Cross, which go back to the Battle of Solferino in 1859.