Bernd Ohlemeyer, Jörg Bischoff, Wolfgang Hoffmann, Mona Neubaur, Carmen Heinke, Andreas Saure, Karl-Heinz Grote, Benedikt Rotte and Berthold Schröder (from left) (Photo: © WHKT / RG)
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September 14, 2026
This year's "Volunteering in Crafts NRW" event focused on tradespeople who are also involved in community service outside of their professional work. Seven volunteers presented their activities.
The voluntary work of tradespeople is important for society. It fosters cohesion and offers a great deal to the community. This was emphasized by Berthold Schröder, President of the West German Association of Chambers of Skilled Crafts (WHKT), at the NRW Volunteer Meeting for Skilled Crafts. The WHKT hosted the event in Raesfeld for the twelfth time. "Promoting this sense of community within society is an important task of the skilled trades, and that is what we want to focus on today," explained Schröder. "We train young people, give young people who have a difficult time in life a chance, provide them with guidance and a future perspective. This cannot be valued highly enough." Many tradespeople are also involved in voluntary work alongside their professional activities. This applies to both employers and employees.
"The people we bring together at the NRW Crafts Volunteer Meeting Point strengthen our regions and our society with their commitment. Their dedication matters. The skilled trades thrive on people taking responsibility and contributing their experience, time, and skills to others." This commitment deserves visibility and support. Volunteering is a fundamental pillar of the skilled trades, said NRW Minister of Economic Affairs Mona Neubaur (Greens). "Much wouldn't function if tradespeople didn't so frequently lend a hand on a voluntary basis – for their city, their community, their neighborhood, for projects that would otherwise require expensive funding. Master craftswomen, journeymen, and apprentices are not only socially engaged, they also support economic self-governance and the vocational training system – on a voluntary basis."
Seven tradesmen from all chamber districts of North Rhine-Westphalia reported on their volunteer work. Bernd Ohlemeyer kicked things off. The master electrician from Merzenich manages Elektrotechnik Ohlemeyer GmbH and has been committed to the common good for many years, extending his involvement beyond his business. Through the association " A Roof for Africa ," he supports various development projects, including one in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. "When I arrived there, everything was destroyed and in a very poor state. And then I thought about what could actually be done." He didn't just want to donate money, but to provide long-term support, and decided to help a school with the vocational training of young people. Later, he was involved in setting up a carpentry workshop and equipped it with machinery and tools.
Benedikt Rotte, Managing Partner of Ulrich Rotte Anlagenbau und Fördertechnik GmbH in Salzkotten, combines entrepreneurial responsibility with social commitment in the region. He has built a daycare center at the company's headquarters to promote work-life balance and simultaneously strengthen the local economy. Since this year, the company has been an official "Help Point for Kids" of the Caritas Association of Paderborn , offering assistance to young people in crisis situations. Rotte also supports youth and club sports. "Furthermore," he says, "we are strongly committed to enabling our employees to contribute to the community outside of work, for example, by granting them time off or making company facilities available." He grew up in a household where civic engagement has always played a significant role, a tradition he continues together with his wife.
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The Chambers of Skilled Crafts in Germany - HWK Trier
Wolfgang Hoffmann, managing director of Paul Hoffmann GmbH in Bochum, is committed to providing vocational training for young people in Zambia. Even during his youth, he witnessed firsthand that volunteering was perfectly normal. His involvement began with a trip to Zambia: "I had never been to Africa before. I couldn't imagine that there are regions in this world where there is no electricity or running water for days on end. The idea came to me whether it would be worthwhile to establish some kind of training facility in this incredibly poor region." Hoffmann then collected decommissioned machinery and ultimately shipped a complete carpentry workshop to Zambia. There, young people receive practical vocational training and thus new career prospects.
Master butcher Jörg Bischoff, owner of Bischoff GmbH in Oberhausen, is chairman of the association "Oberhausen Helps." The association supports people in need and promotes social institutions both domestically and internationally. This included the renovation of an eye clinic in Sarajevo. Bischoff's involvement in Ukraine began with the 25th anniversary of the town twinning between Oberhausen and Zaporizhzhia. This included, for example, the renovation of the sanitary facilities in an orphanage. "We receive a great deal of support from the entire region. Then this huge, terrible war came, and naturally, things took a different turn. We have now dispatched 24 large trucks full of aid supplies."
The Hardt bakery in Cologne regularly holds fundraising events for charitable projects. Managing Director Carmen Heinke is also a driving force behind this commitment. With their annual "Firefighter Bread," they collect donations for the youth fire brigade. "We've raised a considerable amount of money that way. Then the fire brigade invited us over. This allowed us to see firsthand what the money is used for. A wonderful friendship has developed, and we even bake together sometimes. That means the firefighters also come to our bakery." Following the devastating floods in the Ahr Valley, they also raised more than €10.000 within ten days through the sale of a special charity bread and an additional fundraising campaign. Furthermore, the bakery supports a children's and youth project and other social organizations by donating unsold food.
Andreas Saure , a watchmaker and master goldsmith from Borken, is a volunteer firefighter and has been involved in humanitarian aid efforts since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. These efforts include transporting medicine and donating fire engines and rescue equipment. Together with other volunteers, he personally delivered the aid supplies to Lviv. "The first project was three weeks after the war began," says Saure. At that time, he collected donations for insulin, which had become very scarce in Ukraine. Now, fully equipped fire engines are also being sent to the Lviv region. "We drive right into the villages and even provide some training on the vehicles. The gratitude you experience there is unimaginable. This has also led to close friendships." Some firefighters from Ukraine were able to visit their colleagues in Borken and travel with them to a trade fair in Hanover.
For master baker Karl-Heinz Grote of Goldbäckerei Grote GmbH & Co. KG in Balve-Langenholthausen, social responsibility is an integral part of a craft business owner's identity. "I've always been very socially engaged," he said. His volunteer work is a matter close to his heart. Through his bakery, Grote supports children's, youth, and sports projects, as well as a fundraising project for a development project jointly managed with the Kolping Family of Balve-Garbeck. He is committed to establishing bakeries in Uganda to provide people with sustainable future prospects through vocational training and self-help initiatives.
In closing, Minister Neubaur presented the North Rhine-Westphalia Craftsmanship Award to the entrepreneurial couple Nadine and Bernd Winkels from Haltern am See, who jointly run the orthopedic shoe technology company Winkels . Under the motto "Movement Helps," they bring people together through charity runs, combining athletic activity with social commitment. They raised funds for the German Children's Hospice Association and the Red Wedge Network . "You both combine your passion for craftsmanship with a passion for helping others, a passion for volunteering, and a passion for sports," said Neubaur in her laudatory speech. With their commitment to promoting physical activity, they have not only raised significant donations, enabling support for children and families, but have also helped ensure that every participant has benefited greatly from their own health.
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