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KINDerLEBEN

A long-term commitment to children and teenagers with cancer

Every year in Germany, around 2,000 children and teenagers develop cancer. More than 500 of them will die regardless of treatment, and many more will have to endure the symptoms for the rest of their lives.

For many years the ALBA Group has been committed to battling cancer through a special foundation set up in 1997 by ALBA founder Franz Josef Schweitzer and a few like-minded people: "KINDerLEBEN - Verein zur Förderung der Klinik für krebskranke Kinder e.V." (the Berlin Charitable Foundation for the Clinic for Children with Cancer). And just a year later, a day clinic opened in the Charité university hospital in Berlin.

The foundation has established a research centre dedicated to investigating the causes of cancer and promising new treatments. The funds make it possible to grant many of the children's and teenagers' requests, ranging from new furnishings for the rooms, to books and toys for the younger patients. The Foundation also engages in many other helpful, practical activities - such as setting up home care arrangements for children with cancer. In doing so, KINDerLEBEN helps make life easier for cancer patients, while supporting their recovery.

For more than 20 years ALBA has been supporting KINDerLEBEN through various fundraising campaigns, where the entire proceeds – more than 2.9 million Euro – were donated to the foundation.

Every basket counts!

alba-group-dr-eric-schweitzer-jeder-korb-zaehlt

After the success of our fundraising campaign “Every basket counts!” in 2011, where we donated 1 Euro for every point scored by ALBA BERLIN, we decided to relaunch the campaign on the occasion of our 50th company anniversary: at every home game of top division basketball team ALBA BERLIN, dedicated volunteers will be lining up on the free throw line for a good cause. For every successfully converted free throw in a 50 second time frame, 50 Euros will be donated to the children’s charity KINDerLEBEN by the ALBA Group. The campaign starts will continue throughout our anniversary year in which we are celebrating “50 years of ALBA”.

Interview with KINDerLEBEN Chairperson Dr. Sigrid Wegert

My motivation is helping children with cancer.

Sigrid-Wegert

Since January 2015, Dr. Sigrid Wegert has been the chairperson of KINDerLEBEN, the friends association of the Berlin university hospital child cancer department. The association, which the ALBA Group has supported with personal involvement and donations since its inception in 1997, has the purpose of supporting young cancer sufferers and their families. The doctor and mother of five speaks about her experiences in this interview.

Interview with Dr. Sigrid Wegert

What are your responsibilities as chairperson?

Representing the association and communicating its objectives both to individual and to business donors. Liaising with the hospital department management about the use of the donated funds, which means planning projects that are identified as qualifying for support and that are then funded by the association. Speaking personally with the parents and families of children with cancer and making decisions about individual support. Discussions and correspondence with freelancers, voluntary staff, staff at the children’s cancer ward and members of the association. And a lot of administrative work.

What motivates in chairing the association?

My five healthy children are motivation enough to help families of children with cancer!

Another thing is the incredibly positive feedback that so many people have given since I took up the chair of the association. People who all have links with the association and share one goal: to help child cancer sufferers.

What challenges do you face in your work?

Finding the right balance – allocating the budget so it benefits the children to best effect.

What was your best experience to date?

I have two wonderful experiences in that regard. Providing funding for two ward assistants on Ward 30i and the bone marrow transplant ward meant that the qualified nursing staff were at last able to focus on what they are really there for, which is looking after sick children – something they and the children are infinitely grateful for!

And then I am delighted to have enlisted three of my best friends to volunteer for the association. They will now join in and support the wonderful volunteer staff of our association, some of whom have been with us for 15 years.

What do you wish for for the future?

To be able to continue navigating the association through safe waters thanks to an ongoing stream of donations. And as well as continuing with our many projects on the children’s cancer ward, which are funded exclusively by KINDerLEBEN and which bring joy and relief to the children in their daily hospital routine, we must also keep up our focus on research, because what all parents of children with cancer wish for most is 100% recovery.

How do you see our company’s contribution?

I am delighted with and very grateful for the support and fundraising campaigns for our association by the management of the ALBA Group, with Dr. Eric Schweitzer and Dr. Axel Schweitzer.

And of course I am highly indebted to the company’s workforce, not to forget the ALBA BERLIN Albatrosses, who provide an unforgettable experience for the children with their presence at the annual Christmas party on the children’s cancer ward.

Account for donations to KINDerLEBEN – Verein zur Förderung der Klinik für krebskranke Kinder e.V. Berlin

HypoVereinsbank Berlin
Sort code: 100 208 90
Account number: 263 93 00

The KINDerLEBEN Foundation, the patients at the clinic for children with cancer and the ALBA Group all thank you for your donation.

More information

KINDerLEBEN - Verein zur Förderung der Klinik für krebskranke Kinder e.V.

Berlin Universitätsmedizin Berlin: Charité