Margret Borkmann, Lothar Schlutz, Clemens Schöpker and KJG St. Marien awarded the Citizens’ Prize
Rheine. “Your commitment creates quality of life for those you serve. It also creates quality of life for yourself, because you have discovered new impulses for your life or because you have been able to discover previously unknown abilities in yourself. After all, it has been scientifically proven that helping other people simply makes you happy. It’s enriching for everyone!”
This is what Mayor Dr. Peter Lüttmann said today in his welcoming address at this year’s Citizens’ Award ceremony in the Morriensaal at the Falkenhof. In his speech, the mayor paid tribute to all the award winners (in alphabetical order:
Margret Borkmann
“30 years ago, you were asked to take over a group of lonely and sometimes mentally ill people through Caritas. Since then, you have been meeting weekly, exchanging ideas, going on excursions and growing together as a Tuesday group. You reliably take on responsibility here.
You also support the annual “Travel without packing your suitcase”. Until recently, you also accompanied dementia patients and people in need of care on trips as a caregiver. This gave relatives the freedom to go on their own activities and take a break from everyday life.
You have also been a member of our town’s senior citizens’ advisory council for 10 years. You help with the senior citizens’ cinema and are available on Wednesdays at the Ketteler Ufer exercise trail as a contact person for senior citizens’ issues. Currently, you are particularly involved in a working group that deals with topics relating to the end of life. Funeral culture, palliative care and hospice, living wills and health care proxies – these and other issues are discussed there. You are also involved in the “Treffpunkt Bank” project to combat loneliness in old age.
You are also active in the City Center/Hörstkamp District Advisory Council, the Town Twinning Association, Ukraine Aid in the Maidan Network and Cat Aid.”
Lothar Schlutz
“You are doing something good for sick children. It motivates you enormously when you manage to put a smile on the children’s faces. I can well understand that, as I myself have been able to join “Fly for children” a few times.
You are the initiator of these activities for children with cancer: flying, seeing the sea, parachuting, boating and, of course, a bouncy castle.
Prof. Dr. Rössig, Clinic Director of Pediatric Oncology at UKM Münster, says: “The flight day allows the children and young people to experience something very special together with their families outside the clinic. We see beaming faces, illness and worries are forgotten for a wonderful day. This not only strengthens the sick children and young people, but also their siblings, parents and other relatives. Weeks later, they are still telling us about their experiences in the clinic. We are very grateful to Lothar Schlutz for giving our patients this time out from the stressful cancer treatment!” (end of quote)
Because there was a lot of preparation behind this day for you, the networker. First of all, you had to painstakingly clean doors and find people who would participate and get involved. Bit by bit, you built up a network of helpers and partner organizers. This has been a successful campaign for many years now thanks to the excellent cooperation between the various people involved.
It’s great that you have committed partners at your side with the children’s oncology department of Münster University Hospital, the Eschendorf air sports club, the parachuting club Rheine and the fire department Rheine.
You also support another association, and again it is about sick children, namely the Ibbenbüren “Traumpfade-Verein zur Förderung schwerstkranker Kinder und Kinder von Tschernobyl e. V.”.
The association enables these children from the regions around Chernobyl to recuperate in Germany during the vacations and thus strengthen their immune system. In the past, you have organized visits to the zoo for guests from the East.
These examples show once again, and this is particularly important to you, Mr. Schlutz, that projects can succeed in the community and with many helping hands. You play a part in this. You are a reliable partner, for which we are honoring you with our city’s citizens’ award.”
Clemens Schöpker
“Get rich and work for nothing” – this slogan, which you read at a volunteering fair in Scotland 40 years ago, appealed to you. Providing meaningful help is fulfilling for you. You also enjoy the encounters and friendships with people.
And here in the Morriensaal, we are in a place that is connected to part of your commitment. You are the treasurer of the Museum Foundation.
Today we are looking primarily at another area of commitment. You have been involved in town twinning work at Rheinefor almost a decade, including several years as Chairman of the Association for the Promotion of Town Twinning Rheine e. V.
You are particularly interested in youth exchanges with Leiria, our Portuguese twin town. “Recognizing what we have in common, discovering what is special” – that is the motto of these multi-day encounters, which you organized and accompanied throughout. A challenging program has allowed the young people to grow together and ultimately Europe. They were able to get to know the region and its history, culture and everyday life by visiting each other’s schools, through a joint leisure program and in the families. Thanks to its excellent reputation, places are filled very quickly every year.
There are also close links with the twin towns Trakai, Bernburg and Borne. What can be achieved with such work can be seen, for example, in the relationship between the Dutch and us. It is impressive that we have been celebrating Liberation Day together in May in Borne since 2015 and the commemoration of the dead since 2021. A clear sign of trust! And on November 9, guests from Borne always take part in our commemoration of Kristallnacht.
During your time as Chairman, Mr. Schöpker, you have created various formats that work within the association and offer the opportunity to exchange ideas and discuss beyond the Annual General Meeting. The proposal for the Citizens’ Award states: “The interest shown by members in these events shows how important these dates are. The number of members has risen to 270 during this time.”
KJG St. Marien
Parts of the organizing team accepted the award on behalf of all members.
“You, dear members, have stood for church youth work for 20 years now. What started with just 15 teenagers and young adults has long since grown to 155 members. Around 50 of them are active volunteers.
More than these figures show your commitment. There is, of course, the summer camp, which inspires a good 60 children year after year with its colorful program. Motto days, parties, excursions, campfires and normal summer camp life – there is something for everyone and the photos on your homepage underline this impressively. It’s great that you have the support of the kitchen team, as you are self-catering.
In addition to organizing this vacation camp, your commitment demands further dedication. You take part in training courses, from supervisor and prevention training to first aid and lifeguard courses. You also provide an important and necessary framework with an institutional protection concept and the code of conduct. When camp children become counselors themselves, this speaks for the quality of your summer camps.
Your youth work also includes other activities. I would mention the traditional Christmas tree campaign as well as the annual Christmas hustle and bustle on Christmas Eve, where children and young people let off steam in the Gellendorf sports hall to shorten the time until the presents are given. Excursions to the Movie Park or the climbing forest are just as popular as the movie night or the Halloween party with a night hike. Some activities help to raise money for the vacation camp, such as a chip stall at the Eschendorf Schützenfest. Of course, you can also be found at the parish festival with game stands or taking part in the mission bazaar. It is exciting that there is also a connection to another citizen award winner, namely Mr. Schlutz. Because you, the KJG, take part in “Fly for children” with play stands at the Eschendorf airfield.
The joint commitment to the summer camp and your activities has long since developed into a large circle of friends. That is pure motivation. All the better, as the KJG St. Marien Rheine is a bank when it comes to youth work.”
At the end of the official part of the award ceremony, Clemens Schöpker thanked the city of Rheine for the award on behalf of all those honored.