Fujifilm offers jump-start for the new year

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

18.12.2019

A warm beverage and a kind word after dark, even during times of high demand in the cold season. Photo: Fujifilm

Düsseldorf, December 16, 2019 - 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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

For additional information please contact:

Martin Stade | Leiter Unternehmenskommunikation
FUJIFILM Europe GmbH
E-Mail: martin.stade(at)fujifilm(dot)com
Telefon: +49 211 50 89 203

Hilke Witjes | Referentin für Presse- und Öffentlichkeitsarbeit
FUJIFILM Europe GmbH
E-Mail: hilke.witjes(at)fujifilm(dot)com
Mobil: +49 173 4248675

Daniel Stumpe | Büroleitung, Medien und Öffentlichkeitsarbeit
vision:teilen e.V.
E-Mail: daniel(at)vision-teilen(dot)org
Telefon: +49 211 6683 373