Munich. The BMW Group presented three of its employees with the BMW
Group Award for Social Commitment in recognition of their outstanding
voluntary activities at a ceremony at BMW Welt. 168 applications were
submitted from 14 countries this year – more than in any previous
year. The winners, who were chosen by a jury made up of company
representatives, each received an endowment of 5,000 euros, which will
directly benefit their service projects. Projects were recognised for
“commitment across borders”, “commitment to integration” and
“commitment in one’s own country”. The Vera and Volker Doppelfeld
Foundation also presented a special award honouring the commitment of
a young associate.
Ilka Horstmeier, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG,
responsible for Human Resources and patron of the award, was impressed
by the employees’ commitment: “I am proud of our associates who really
want to change something through personal commitment in their free
time. For me, they are role models – not just within our company, but
also beyond it. We honour social responsibility as part of who we are
as the BMW Group: We love what you do!”
Many of the BMW Group’s more than 134,000 employees worldwide
volunteer with charitable and social projects in their free time and
take responsibility. The BMW Group has paid tribute to these
contributions to the social community since 2011 with the “BMW Award
for Social Commitment”. This year, projects from South Africa, Peru
and Germany were recognised – from sustainable teaching materials to
carts for disabled children to the fight against child trafficking and
setting up a hospital. The award-winners in detail:
Belen Vasquez-Torres (39), who joined the BMW Group in 2015, is a
Development module leader. In her free time, she established a
hospital project in Peru, which she now leads. She received the award
for “commitment across borders” for her efforts to help children with
leukaemia in Trujillo get medical care. The endowment will help fund a
psychologist and a clinic clown for one year.
Kurt Lada (51) has been a foreman at BMW Group Plant Regensburg since
1989 and volunteers with Motorsportclub Hemau e.V. as a youth trainer
as part of a karting project focused on inclusion. He received the BMW
Group Award for “commitment to integration”. This will enable a
specially adapted kart to be built, so young people who have
difficulty walking can enjoy karting alongside able-bodied children.
Shaylen*, who has worked for the BMW Group in South Africa since
2013, was presented with the BMW Group Award for “commitment in one’s
own country”. His efforts protect girls in South Africa from sexual
assault and child trafficking. Shaylen aims to get children off the
streets and ensures they get medical care, among other help – risking
his life to do so. The endowment will be invested in housing, food and
medical care.
The Vera and Volker Doppelfeld Foundation presented its special award
for committed young associates to Karin Gresser (26), an IT specialist
at the BMW Group in Munich since 2018. She submitted the project
“WeltFAIRsteher”, a Germany-wide educational project dedicated to
sustainable development. The award-winner developed interactive
activities for pupils aged 10 and older and was also involved with
designing educational projects, fund-raising and organisational
development. The endowment will be used to expand the Germany-wide
project, which almost 1000 children have participated in since 2016.
*) name changed