With the sun in the sky and in our hearts
The Arche Children’s Charity and WACKER: A 17-Year Partnership
Munich , Jul 07, 2023
After 17 years of cooperation, many Arche (Ark) children have grown up with WACKER as their partner. The Arche helps children and adolescents from socially disadvantaged families in the city’s Moosach district. In the light of post-pandemic inflation and societal developments, the collaboration that dates back to 2006 is more important than ever. The charity received its 17th WACKER donation of €100,000 this summer, taking the total donated to over €1.7 million.
A highlight the whole neighborhood looks forward to is the summer party! Every year, on the first Thursday in July, young and old from the Moosach neighborhood gather on the meadows around the inviting Arche building at Hartmannshofer Bächl. This year’s event was also attended by a number of adolescents whom the Arche team has been supporting since they were in elementary school.
Head of HR, Stephan Roth, officially handed over the donation amounting to €100,000 at the summer party for the 17th consecutive time. “Every time I am moved by the children’s great enthusiasm. Here in their Arche, they have found a place where they are always welcome,” he notes.
Once again, the children had questions for Stephan Roth at the summer party.
In keeping with tradition, two girls conducted an on-stage interview with him. “Why does WACKER support The Arche?” asked Hasna and Malda. “We support The Arche as a reliable partner that offers the children joy among friends, supports them academically, and contributes to a healthy diet with a hot lunch. The Arche team also assists you in your search for training opportunities,” explained Stephan Roth.
“What would you definitely want to try here if you were an Arche child?” the girls continued. “I would certainly want to try out your basketball court. We didn’t have that at our school when I was a child. I would also take part in the homework tutoring for math,” stated Stephan Roth. And, in response to the question as to what he liked most about The Arche summer party, he replied, “Definitely the lighthearted atmosphere here. At the summer parties here, we always have the sun in the sky and in our hearts!” His answer was greeted by a round of applause, followed by the cheerful Arche song: “Alles tanzt, niemand kann es mir nehmen” [Everybody is dancing, no one can take that away from me].
Society’s challenges are reflected in the Arche
The contact restrictions from the pandemic are over, but the consequences they left in their wake are still visible. Many children and young people still have gaps in their education. For some, conspicuous behavior, including aggression and a propensity to violence, has continued to increase – unfortunately, even among children of elementary school age. The Arche team is also concerned about the media behavior of children and young people, some of whom are too deeply immersed in social media or online games.
“The increased cost of living has presented many families whose children come to us with almost insurmountable challenges,” reports Larissa Rauter, director of the Arche in Munich-Moosach. The number of children and adolescents taking advantage of the offer of free, warm food is rising. Some children do not get a balanced diet at home, so at the Arche they eat first, then do their homework and eat again before playing. Many adolescents ask for food to take home. “The situation continues to escalate and predominantly affects those who have no financial leeway to absorb the increasing prices for food, energy and petrol,” explains Larissa Rauter. Without donations, she and her team would not be able to keep the Arche running.
Need for basic food and school supplies
The Arche’s partnership with WACKER dates back to 2006, when the city of Munich erected a container for the Arche in Moosach, which was later replaced with a bright, modern building. WACKER helpers are frequent guests at the Arche and are there to help out – like with the cake buffet at the annual summer party. Employees from head office bake for the occasion and decorate their offerings with extra care.
Employees often donate privately to the Arche, for example through collections at anniversaries and other occasions. The employees also partake in-kind donations by providing items on the Arche’s online list: www.kinderprojekt-arche.de/helfen-sie/sachspende. Currently, basic foodstuffs, such as long-life bread, margarine, milk and soup, are in short supply, as are items such as toilet paper, toothbrushes, children's toothpaste and washing powder. And school supplies, because the materials the children need for the new school year place many families of Arche children under severe financial pressure. With such in-kind donations, anyone who cares to help can make a big difference with a small contribution.
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Wacker Chemie AG
Media Relations
Petra Hettich
Tel. +49 89 6279-1303
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