Volunteering in the spotlight: New Year's reception with Steinmeier in Berlin!

On January 10, 2025, the traditional New Year's reception for Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his wife Elke Büdenbender took place at Bellevue Palace. Around 60 citizens who have made outstanding contributions to the common good were invited to the reception. The guests also include representatives from politics, business, trade unions, culture and civil society.

The reception began at 10 a.m. in the morning. Among the invited volunteers are 11 committed people from Berlin and Brandenburg, including Leia Haarhuis and Spirou Theodoridis, who have been active on the board of the Tempelhof-Schöneberg Children and Youth Parliament since 2018 and 2021, respectively. Helmut Kolb and Sigrid Weise, who campaigned for the reopening of a historic cinema in Barby, were also honored. Those invited from Brandenburg included Melanie Bredow, who trains therapy horses for children with disabilities, and Peter Kuttner, who supports refugees with applications.

Lunch together to honor the volunteers

After the reception, a joint lunch took place in the large hall of the official residence. This served to thank the invited guests for their outstanding volunteer work.

As reported on the website of the Federal President's Office, the invited volunteers come from different federal states and represent a variety of social commitments, ranging from political activism to special initiatives to support weaker groups.

For many of the invited volunteers, the New Year's reception is a valuable recognition of their work and motivation for future projects. The event underlines the importance of voluntary commitment to society.