Trainees Bring Joy to Children at the Ark

“We wanted to bring some joy to the children and young people at The Ark before our first term as council members ends,” explained Lilian Hansbauer, Julia Leonhardt and Eva-Marie Lindenmeier. Their carefully crafted Easter egg display gave everyone who wished to participate the chance to fulfill a child’s wish or support a family with a good deed.

The spring display with the wish list was set up at Easter in the cafeteria at headquarters. A variety of wishes was available until the end of June: besides small donations of up to €30, donors could also make a contribution toward larger items requested by The Ark. A third option was to select one of the useful items on an Amazon wish list compiled by The Ark. “In total around 100 small and large presents have been donated,” reported the trainees. “Including remote-controlled toy cars. We also collected equipment for darts and table football and managed to satisfy the wishes for children’s toys and LED lights.”

“Our inspiration for this “Spring Surprise” project came from the Nünchritz JAV council’s “Shooting Star” project at Christmas,” reported the Munich trainees, who were pleased with the generous donations made. The gifts were handed over at The Ark’s summer party, which was held again this summer for the first time since the pandemic. The Ark has published its current list of required items on the internet (in German only): https://www.kinderprojekt-arche.de/helfen-sie/sachspende. That way, all who want to help can do so – every small gesture brings a smile to a child’s face.

At The Ark in Munich-Moosach, support workers take care of young people, provide hot lunches, help with homework, and arrange leisure activities and school vacation programs. Although coronavirus restrictions forced The Ark to close its otherwise always open doors, it adopted new ways of keeping in touch with the children. Families there have been especially hard hit by the pandemic. While observing social distancing protocols, the Ark team delivered school supplies and food donations right to the doorstep – and provided tips on how the children can structure their daily routine without school or The Ark to guide them.

The Ark has since reopened and welcomes children and youngsters – following strict pandemic-related hygiene rules. After the long lockdown phases, many children could hardly wait for the go ahead to finally visit The Ark again, a place of refuge, their second home. WACKER has been supporting The Ark for 16 years.