SCHIRMHERR

MEMBER OF THE FEDERAL PARLIAMENT THORSTEN FREI

"'The world lives from people who do more than their duty.' This sentence by the German actor Ewald Balser describes in a powerful and succinct way that the prosperity of our society and the well-being of people cannot be planned or decreed by the state, but must be borne and worked for by the people in society as a whole.

It describes very accurately that our common good, of which we can be very proud and which many countries in the world envy us, results above all from the willingness of each individual not only to think of themselves, but also to help others and to make at least a small individual contribution to improving the local community.

No matter how small the voluntary work of an individual may seem, with a host of more than 24 million citizens involved in voluntary work, it quickly becomes clear what socio-political significance voluntary work has outside of the family, business and public administration in Germany.

Former Federal President Joachim Gauck rightly stated that "our towns and communities would not be viable and probably not as livable without those who volunteer their time in the district council or the city council, who set up associations and wrestle in meetings." In doing so, he acknowledged at the highest level that civic engagement is a central cornerstone of a functioning society, our society.

A very central role is played by the social and solidarity-based coexistence of people in today's stressful and hectic world, often referred to as a 'performance society'. Mutual care is a living expression of Christian charity, which has been firmly anchored in our society for centuries.

The ProKids Foundation VS has also made this charity its mission. It was founded in 2008 to enable socially disadvantaged children in Villingen-Schwenningen to have a decent meal at school. Since then, Joachim Spitz's team has worked on many projects, put even more heart and soul into it and has made sure that disadvantaged children in Villingen-Schwenningen do not have to be on the sidelines, are in the sights of everyone, are given better opportunities in life and thus also have a happy childhood to some extent.

When Joachim Spitz asked me whether I would like to support the foundation's projects with my political work, it was immediately clear to me that I would be happy to get involved with the foundation. Because every personal commitment to ProKids can be measured in concrete terms. Every minute invested is worth it. Working for ProKids makes a difference. It makes life better for many children. That is what matters to me. Even if not all children are the same and everyone has different talents, as a wealthy society we should be able to afford to ensure that every child gets a good start and good opportunities in life, regardless of their parents' financial situation.

Everyone can make a contribution, even without a large financial or time investment. I would therefore be very pleased if you would support us in the future and also become part of ProKids.