Together we are strong: Friedhelm Loh Group employees donate €200,000

Together making a difference and providing motivation: The employees of the Friedhelm Loh Group, together with owner Professor Friedhelm Loh, raised €200,000 for good causes in their traditional annual charity collection. The funds are being distributed through the Rittal Foundation to twelve charitable organisations near the company’s locations. Furthermore, international aid organisations involved, for example, in hospice work, in helping physically disabled children and active in worldwide crisis areas will also benefit.

The Friedhelm Loh Group employees’ annual fundraising campaign is motivated by the aim of giving encouragement, alleviating hardship and helping people even more in difficult times. At the end of 2023, staff again raised a nearly six-figure sum, which Professor Friedhelm Loh, Owner and CEO of the group that bears his name, topped up to €200,000. “You have shown a great willingness to help children and adults who need assistance for various reasons. With your donation, you are improving their living conditions. That is commendable,” says Professor Loh, praising his team: “Thank you very much for your contribution and this special display of charity.”

These are the von Bodelschwinghsche Stiftungen Bethel for people with all kinds of disabilities, Caritas Workshops based in Montabaur, the Christian Hospice Service in Görlitz, the Debora Foundation India, the Diakonie- und Sozialstation Heckengäu as well as the Regionale Diakonie an der Dill (both involved in Christian welfare and social work), the Evangelische Integrative Kindertagesstätte am Lerchenweg in Monheim am Rhein (day-care facility for children), the Global Aid Network, Lebenshilfe Altenkirchen (for people with mental disabilities), the Tafel Hessen (food bank), the Oberlausitzer Kinderhilfe Bautzen and SOS-Kinderdorf in Gera (both helping children). Money finds its way quickly and unbureaucratically to recipients through the Rittal Foundation, the Friedhelm Loh Group's charitable institution.

Support in the most challenging of times

The Friedhelm Loh Group is helping the Görlitz Christian Hospice Service and its volunteers with a donation of €12,500. The service advises and supports the dying – including children and their families – in their home surroundings, as well as in residential and nursing homes and clinics. The services include individual counselling, mourning groups, an open bereavement café, memorial services and a family weekend. “It's about giving families a short break from everyday life, letting people cry and laugh together, getting into conversation but without having to explain themselves to anyone,” says Anja Hempel, coordinator of the Görlitz Children and Youth Hospice Service. “In addition, the donation will help train and educate our volunteers. Many thanks to the entire group for this generous commitment!”

Spaces for children to dream

A soft carpet, a sensory corner with a mat to lie on and above that a canopy: The family-owned company is also helping the Evangelical Integrative Daycare Centre on Lerchenweg in Monheim am Rhein to set up a so-called “Snoezelen room” by donating €10,000. Snoezelen (controlled multisensory environment) is a therapeutically effective method for countering attention and concentration difficulties, hyperactivity, intellectual disabilities and emotional problems. This “dream room” is a popular retreat for young guests to relax, dream away and have perceptual experiences. In the gym, too, new play elements are generating enthusiasm, especially among children with motoric impairments. Because the new purchases are not only colourful but also playfully allow movement and sensory experiences. “We are delighted that we could make two dream spaces a reality thanks to the generous donation by the Friedhelm Loh Group's employees,” says Katerina Katsatou on behalf of the children, families and the daycare team.

Disaster relief in war zones

The Friedhelm Loh Group is also supporting the Giessen-based Global Aid Network (GAiN) with a donation of €20,000. This international organisation provides emergency humanitarian aid in over 50 international crisis regions. It is using the donations for its disaster relief work in Ukraine, Armenia and Israel. For example, GAiN supports local partner organisations by transporting relief supplies and providing refugees with food, hygiene products, clothing, mattresses and firewood. An Israeli refugee and Holocaust survivor who has repeatedly experienced attacks on her fellow human beings joyfully expressed her gratitude: “You brought me a mattress. I've never slept so well.”

Responsibility for our environment

Working together – in the home region, at company locations and across national borders – has a long tradition of being close to the heart of this family-run business. This principle has guided the group’s activities since it was founded in 1961. When Rittal celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2011, owner Professor Loh established the Rittal Foundation, which officially began funding in 2012. Since then, the Rittal Foundation, the Friedhelm Loh Group, the employees, and the company management together have donated more than eight million euros to good causes; almost two million euros was raised in 2023. “What unites us all is our endeavour to act socially, responsibly and sustainably,” says Professor Loh, explaining what motivates this commitment. “We put a lot of effort into changing many things, both large and small.”