Schunk supports parents of children with Rett

The technology company presented a donation of €10,000 at the celebration of its annual “Windhoffest”

  • The technology company presented a donation of €10,000 at the celebration of its annual “Windhoffest”
    [Translate to Portugiesisch:] Der Vorsitzende der Unternehmensleitung der Schunk Group, Dr. Arno Roth (l.), und Personalleiter Steffen Friedrich (r.) übergeben den Spendenscheck über 10.000 Euro an Christian Felber von der Elternhilfe für Kinder mit Rett-Syndrom in Deutschland e. V.

Last Saturday marked the celebration of the Schunk Group’s annual Windhoffest (Windhof Festival) in Heuchelheim, with around 750 former and long-term employees attending the event. Dr. Arno Roth, Chief Executive Officer of the Schunk Group, took the opportunity to present a €10,000 donation to the association Elternhilfe für Kinder mit Rett-Syndrom in Deutschland e. V.

This is a very special kind of company reunion: it always makes for a high-spirited crowd when former employees and those celebrating 25 years with the company get together with the management at the Windhoffest in the Schunk canteen. This year, around 750 guests attended the party, held at Schunk’s headquarters in Heuchelheim.

Another record year for Schunk

Dr. Arno Roth, Chief Executive Officer of the Schunk Group, took the opportunity to provide guests with an overview of the company’s current progress. “2016 was an absolute record year for Schunk, with both record sales of €1.1 billion and record profits. Schunk generated more in its four divisions than ever before in the history of the company,” Dr. Roth told guests. This good news was also shared with the company’s employees. “This year alone, Schunk has distributed almost 25 million euros in non-statutory payments to employees,” said Roth. 2017 also promises to be an extraordinarily successful year for Schunk, and likely another record year – which would make it the fourth sales record in a row. Thanks to the good financial situation, the company could also make further investments in safeguarding the future of its locations in Middle Hesse. These include a new dispatch building constructed in Heuchelheim this year, and a new automated sheet metal processing center which was recently put into operation in Reiskirchen. The globally active technology group also invested heavily in its locations in Austria and the Netherlands.

€10,000 for children with Rett syndrome

Christian Felber, Vice Chairman of the association Elternhilfe für Kinder mit Rett-Syndrom in Deutschland e. V., was present to receive Schunk’s donation of €10,000. Rett syndrome is a genetic disorder, found almost exclusively in girls, which leads to severe mental and physical disabilities. It is named after Prof. Dr. Andreas Rett, who was the first to describe the syndrome. Newborns with Rett syndrome develop normally at first; it is only later that the children display reclusiveness, deceleration in the rate of head growth, loss of acquired skills and social reciprocity, and loss of speech. Many children have impaired mobility. Typical accompanying issues include scoliosis, epilepsy and breathing irregularities.

“We are very grateful to Schunk for this donation,” said Christian Felber. The association intends to use the money to create a fund so that parents can entrust the care of their children to professional hands for a week, and allow themselves a break. “Caring for a child with Rett syndrome is a full-time job, with no opportunity for relaxation. This donation will help to give parents the opportunity to recharge,” said Christian Felber.

A buoyant atmosphere with music and dancing

The guests were pleased with the donation and the good news from the company, as well as with the good food, music, and dancing. Musical entertainment was provided by the Original Münchholzhäuser Blaskapelle. Josef Rentrop of Biebertal had a special reason to be happy – as the oldest participant at the Windhoffest, the 94-year-old was presented with a case of wine.

Windhoffest

The name Windhoffest dates all the way back to the early days of the company, which was founded in 1913: the site of this technology company’s current global corporate headquarters used to be a popular restaurant destination named “Windhof” in the early 20th century. The employees of the Schunk Group have continued to use this name for the Heuchelheim headquarters up through today.
 


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