Successful first year: dedication and success for the Friends of St Martin’s House
The Friends of St Martin’s House, founded on the initiative of Molitor Managing Director Tina Badrot, recently celebrated its successful first year. The association has around 20 committed members and can look back with pride on a year filled with remarkable successes working on behalf of a very special place: St Martin’s House, run by Caritas Mainz, provides a loving home for 50 children and young people with severe multiple disabilities.
Through joint activities and valuable networks, the Friends of St Martin’s House have achieved one of the targets they set themselves of renovating the second bathroom. In addition, the forming of the inclusion band in cooperation with Ingelheim Music School has not only helped the residents to enjoy music even more, but also boosted their social participation. Equally remarkable was the St Martin’s procession, which passed by St Martin’s House and united the residents with the procession community in a unique way.
The charitable fundraising activities, including the sale of individually designed postcards and the ‘Ingelheim Impressions’ calendar, were a great source of financial support. What’s more, the Martin’s wine from the Dautermann winery has not only delighted the palate, but also served as an ambassador for St Martin’s House.
The carnival campaign ‘Kleckerkett’ with the call to donate ‘foolish 11 euros’ received a pleasing response. One remarkable outcome of this is the new small animal enclosure in the garden, which was also made possible by the proceeds of the ‘Kleckerkett’ campaign and is now home to the first four chickens.
The idea is to further boost participation among the young residents in the future and raise awareness of St Martin’s House in Ingelheim and beyond. The dedicated members are already planning a number of exciting events, such as performances by the inclusion band, including an upcoming benefit concert at lulu in Mainz in November, and a charity dinner with a St Martin’s wine menu next year.
At the relaxed get-together in the garden following the annual meeting, member Almut Schultheiss-Lehn summed up the shared spirit of the Friends of St Martin’s House: ‘We all love coming here, there is a special atmosphere of togetherness in the house and it is just as tangible here. It is really a pleasure to be involved in such an important cause.’
The Friends of St Martin’s House would welcome more members to help them achieve great things for St Martin’s House.
If you are interested in getting involved with the Friends of St Martin’s House or becoming a (corporate) sponsor, Magdalena Copeland from the Caritas-Verband Mainz e.V. would love to hear from you. Simply call +49 (0)6131 284 627 or email m.copeland@caritas-mainz.de
