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

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

The reception started at 10 a.m. 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 Children's and Youth Parliament Tempelhof-Schöneberg since 2018 or 2021. Helmut Kolb and Sigrid Weise, who campaigned for the reopening of a historical cinema in Barby, were also honored. Melanie Bredow, who trained therapy horses for impaired children, and Peter Kuttner, who supports refugees in applications, were invited from Brandenburg.

lunch together to honor the volunteers

After the reception, lunch took place together in the large hall of the official seat. This served to thank the invited guests for their outstanding voluntary commitment.

As reported on the website of the Federal President's Office, the invited volunteers from different federal states come and represent a variety of social engagements that ranges 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 engagement for society.