Tag: charity

This year Fujifilm Europe supports the gutenachtbus initiative in Düsseldorf with donations

Visiting vision:teilen e.V. – Fujifilm management and works council present the check, symbolically for the collected donations to the gutenachtbus. (From left) Daniel Stumpe, Ulrike Grieb, Brother Peter Amendt and Peter Struik. Photo: Fujifilm

On Tuesday, 28 January 2020, FUJIFILM Europe GmbH handed over the clothing and monetary donations collected by staff and management to the Düsseldorf gutenachtbus (good night bus). The bus, supporting homeless people in the city, is an initiative by the vision:teilen e.V. foundation in cooperation with street magazine fiftyfifty.

Usually, the gutenachtbus can be spotted at night, supporting the homeless in the downtown areas or at the main train station. Today, however, it was already on the road at 11 a.m., as Brother Peter Amendt, Franciscan and head of vision:teilen e.V., and Daniel Stumpe, media and public relations officer at vision:teilen e.V., welcomed visitors from multi-technology company Fujifilm for the donation presentation at the foundation’s offices on Schirmerstrasse 27 in Düsseldorf, Germany.
Peter Struik, Managing Director at FUJIFILM Europe GmbH, and Ulrike Grieb, chairwoman of the Works Council, brought the collected clothing donation and the symbolic check for the total donation amount of € 5,000, to the gutenachtbus and its carrier association vision:teilen. The Fujifilm workforce had raised donations of € 2,500 over the Advent Season, which management then doubled.

Today Fujifilm focuses on medical technology, which is why many of our products help people improve their health every day. As a company, we have set ourselves the task of creating value with precisely these products and our services. I am therefore particularly pleased that our workforce also carries this idea into local and social projects, such as the gutenachtbus, and is thus involved on site

explains Peter Struik, with a view to the commitment of the workforce.

Through various projects, Fujifilm employees had the opportunity to donate in ways that best suit each individual: During the entire Advent Season, clothes were donated which the gutenachtbus passes on directly to those in need or sells in its own second-hand shop for the benefit of the foundation. In the entire Fujifilm office building on Heesenstrasse in Heerdt / Düsseldorf, the red and white vision:teilen donation boxes were available for classic cash donations and every Wednesday in December 2019 the canteen offered a gutenachtbus menu, where part of each purchase price was added to the donation. At the Fujifilm Christmas Party Raffle, the workforce was able to buy lots and win prizes. Fortuna Düsseldorf, which has partnerships with both Fujifilm and vision:teilen e.V., also donated some prizes, such as fan scarves and VIP tickets for a home game. The proceeds from the raffle also go to the gutenachtbus.

Ulrike Grieb likes to remember the reactions of the Fujifilm workforce to the donation period in December:

Helping homeless people in our neighborhood during the cold season has been very well received by our colleagues, who have been very happy about the opportunity of direct donations of clothes and money.

At night, the gutenachtbus’ first stop is at the Kommödchen in downtown Düsseldorf. Photo: Fujifilm

The gutenachtbus supports homeless people with clothing, warm meals and conversation. This mobile support starts at 10 p.m. when many other points of contact are no longer available.

The gutenachtbus is one of three major projects by vision:teilen e.V. in Düsseldorf and is dedicated to the homeless in the city. We are very happy about Fujifilm’s commitment to this social initiative. The project is financed exclusively through donations and the need is now particularly great in winter

explains Franciscan and director of vision:teilen e.V., Brother Peter Amendt.

Fujifilm employees, as well as family and friends, listened carefully to the explanations of the city guides from Strassenleben. Photo: Fujifilm

Fujifilm brought the topic of homelessness closer to its own workforce for the given occasion and also raffled off tickets for the Strassenleben city tour, an initiative of the street magazine fiftyfifty and the cultural center zakk, for a more intensive discussion of the topic. The city tours are led by (formerly) homeless fiftyfifty sellers and deal with personal stories of those affected and places for homeless people in Düsseldorf.

Fujifilm offers jump-start for the new year

FUJIFILM Europe GmbH provides support for the gutenachtbus in the cold season

This winter, FUJIFILM Europe GmbH supports the gutenachtbus (‘good night bus’), an initiative of the Düsseldorf based organisation vision:teilen e.V. in cooperation with street magazine fiftyfifty, in an effort to aid the homeless people in the city. Employees at the European headquarters participate in a variety of ways to collect donations during the pre-Christmas period. The donations, both monetary and material, collected during this time are intended to serve as a jump-start for the gutenachtbus’ mission in the new year. Management also supports this year’s social project and will double the collected donations.

The gutenachtbus is a nightly draw for the homeless people in and around Düsseldorf. It can be found in the downtown area as well as at the main train station, and supports the homeless people with clothing, warm meals and conversation after 10 p.m., when all other points of contact are unavailable. This mobile and low-threshold aid for the homeless people is financed exclusively via donations and is therefore dependant on outside support. This reliance on outside support is, of course, particularly pressing during the winter months, which is why Fujifilm has decided to offer support.

We invite all of you to participate in this effort: It doesn’t matter whether you collect your small change, clean out your closet, or order the gutenachtbus menu in the canteen; every little donation helps. This way, we’ll be able to provide substantial benefit for the gutenachtbus.

Annika Schulz, Internal Communications Officer at FUJIFILM Europe GmbH, urges her colleagues to participate in the fundraising campaign.

In addition to donating money, employees can also contribute articles of clothing during this year’s Advent Season. The gutenachtbus distributes these clothes to the homeless people or sells them in its own second-hand shop. In addition, the Fujifilm canteen offers the gutenachtbus menu every Wednesday during the Advent Season. The regular lunch price is increased by an additional €1.50, which will supplement the overall donation. The company Christmas party, a yearly highlight, once again included a raffle for the employees. Here, the employees had the opportunity to buy lots and, with a little luck, win exciting prizes. Most importantly: Of course, 100% of the proceeds will go towards the gutenachtbus.
The Fujifilm management also contributes, doubling the collected donations before they are handed over.

The people at Fujifilm Europe are very culturally diverse, complement each other perfectly and grow together. Our culture of cooperation and standing up for one another, also and especially with regard to those in need in our city and our community, fills me with great joy.

Peter Struik, Managing Director at FUJIFILM Europe GmbH, is proud of the employees’ commitment.

Understanding living conditions means experiencing living conditions – Fujifilm has therefore decided to take part in a special city tour. Strassenleben is a cooperation between fiftyfifty and zakk, in which people who are homeless or in need showcase their perspective of Düsseldorf and provide a space for direct dialogue. Fujifilm employees can win tickets for one of these tours.

The collected donations will be handed over to the gutenachtbus by the Fujifilm management and the works council as a way to jump-start the endeavour in the new year.

About : vision:teilen – eine franziskanische Initiative gegen Armut und Not – e.V.
Since its foundation in 2008, the organisation has not only firmly established itself in Düsseldorf, but has also become home to many aid projects that have arisen from individual engagement and have become so successful that they require a carrier organisation to be sustainable in the long term. In Düsseldorf, there are three major projects focusing on help for people in need: “hallo nachbar!” (hello neighbour), “gutenachtbus” (good night bus) and “Housing First”. Vision:teilen does not only manage its own projects, but also supports trailblazing new ideas as they ‘grow up’. These projects essentially comprise five fields of action: social affairs, education, health, local economy and emergency aid.
For more information, please visit:  vision-teilen.org

About the gutenachtbus – mobile help for the homeless people
The gutenachtbus, a vision:teilen e.V. initiative, in cooperation with the street magazine fiftyfifty, has been on the road in Düsseldorf since December 2011 and supports people on the street. A team of social workers and volunteers helps those in need in the city for four nights a week. The gutenachtbus is thus an important source of aid for people on the street who are dependent on support, especially in winter.
For more information, please visit: gutenachtbus.org

About Strassenleben
Düsseldorf is more than the KÖ or the Rheinterrassen, but many places still escape the attention even of Düsseldorf natives. Since summer 2013, (formerly) homeless fiftyfifty sellers have been showing their view of the state capital as part of a cooperation between the street magazine fiftyfifty and the cultural centre zakk. In addition to the personal stories of these sellers, facilities for homeless people available in the city are also discussed. The intention of the project is to strengthen the understanding of the homeless people and their living conditions.
For more information, please visit: strassenleben.org

Clean-up alongside the river

Fortuna and Fujifilm are jointly cleaning up

Social Day 2019 – In fine weather Fortuna and Fujifilm employees are collecting garbage on the riverbanks of the Rhine. Photo: Fujifilm

Summer is coming to a close. During the season many in Düsseldorf used the inviting weather for outdoor activities and barbecues on the river Rhine. As a result, a lot of waste, such as charcoal or packaging, has been left on the popular river banks.

On 3 September, Fortuna and its partner, multi-technology company Fujifilm, organised their first collective Social Day to collect garbage on the left river bank for one day.

We are entering our second season as an official Fortuna partner, and are happy to once again cooperate closely with a club with such a high degree of social and local engagement. For that reason, I am very happy about today’s shared commitment. At Fujifilm, sustainable business practices go hand in hand with sustainable use of resources. We have, for example, been using 100 percent renewable energy to power our state-of-the-art production facility in Tilburg, the Netherlands since 2016

explains Peter Struik, Managing Director FUJIFILM Europe GmbH.

We are happy to commence our second season as partners with an event such as this. A mindful approach to the environment is an integral part of the culture at Fortuna Düsseldorf. The fact that Fujifilm and Fortuna employees alike participate in this event is a fantastic signal.

Christian Koke, Chief Marketing Officer at Fortuna Düsseldorf, welcomes this team spirit .

The Fujifilm Management, being very supportive of neighbourliness and community engagement, granted a few hours of paid leave to its employees participating in the event.

Today’s garbage collection event is our way to make a small contribution to the environment in our neighbourhood. At the same time, we place great value on the idea of community and cooperation, which is why I am very happy to witness this joint event with our colleagues from Fortuna.

Martin Stade, Head of Corporate Communications at Fujifilm Europe, is happy to participate alongside a lot of colleagues.

We are delighted, that our partnership with our partner Fujifilm has led to this Social Day. Over the years, we have been participating in a variety of events like this one, such as the ‘Düsseldorfer Dreck-weg-Tag’, to do our part in keeping our city clean. This Social Day in cooperation with Fujifilm once again documents our approach to social responsibility

says Paul Jäger, Director CSR at Fortuna Düsseldorf.

Team spirit is an important aspect of the Social Day, so Awista, a Fortuna partner as well, disposes of the collected garbage and furthermore supports the industrious participants by providing 10 garbage tongs.

The environmental office of the city of Düsseldorf is also due a thank you, as it is already doing a part in alleviating the strain put on the river banks during the busy summer season by, for example, providing around 200 bins along the river. It furthermore supports today’s Social Day by providing disposable gloves, garbage bags and another 10 tongs.

In the evening, Fortuna partner Holger Gronski, has invited everyone involved for a barbecue at his PreSchoolSports establishment in Heerdt to bring the day to a close.

Fujifilm supports access to safe water

The partnership between Water Aid and FUJIFILM Europe started in 2012 and centered on the launch of Fujifilm’s new PROT3 product, an aluminium printing plate that requires no water in its processing. Fujifilm pledged to donate a certain amount per square meter of product sold and thus in the last four years, WaterAid has received an incredible amount of 261,371 Euro towards its clean water and sanitation projects across 37 countries. The partnership will continue.