On Thursday, December 4th, there was a palpable sense of anticipation in the rooms of the "Alte Lotte" of the Eckartsberg/Radgendorf Fire Brigade Support and History Association. Twelve representatives from various clubs and volunteer organizations were present
Initiatives from the Görlitz district were to be recognized with the Görlitz district's special award for voluntary service. For the first time, the award ceremony was held in cooperation with the Social Network Lausitz gGmbH (SNL). Therefore, District Administrator Dr. Stephan Meyer and SNL Managing Director Manuela Thomas jointly welcomed the guests.
The Lausitz Social Network awarded two special prizes for exceptional social commitment. The Görlitz district honored ten recipients whose applications for the volunteer budget received particularly high marks from the jury. Ingo Goschütz, Team Leader of Marketing and IT at ENO, is responsible for the operational implementation of the volunteer budget. He is pleased every year with the high level of participation from volunteers in the application process: "The volunteer budget has now established itself as a key component of support for volunteer work in the district; many associations use it to implement their plans and projects."
This year's award-winning projects impressed with their exceptional creativity and impact. They ranged from innovative formats and community-building initiatives to long-term, consistent, and high-quality work. For the jury, these are the moments that make volunteering visible and powerful. Ingo summarized this impression: "It's always astonishing how diverse volunteering is in the district and how many new ideas and projects appear in the applications each year. We are pleased that this special prize gives us the opportunity to further recognize exceptional commitment and outstanding ideas."
The award winners, visibly moved, accepted their prizes from District Administrator Dr. Meyer. The speakers, Matthias Reuter, Susanne Lehmann, and Ingo Goschütz, emphasized in heartfelt words their deep respect for all those who dedicate themselves to their fellow citizens every day.
The wonderful guitar music of Marc Winkler and the stylishly decorated rooms of the "Alte Lotte" provided an atmospheric setting for the awards ceremony. "We thank the team at the Alte Lotte for their wonderful hospitality and excellent preparation; all the guests felt very comfortable that evening," said Ingo happily.
A look at the 2025 figures:
A total of 473 applications were submitted. Of these, 325 were for grants of €200 and 148 for grants of €500. 424 projects were approved. 52 applications received €500 and 372 applications received €200. This resulted in €100,400 being paid out directly to associations, initiatives, and volunteers in the Görlitz district.
The 2025 award winners
- Wishes from the Heart e.V.
- Lebenswert eV Meuselwitz
- Fawn rescue “Am Großen Stein” eV.
- LiLO eV Learning in Life Upper Lusatia
- Children's fire brigade of the Kunnerwitz volunteer fire brigade
- Biber Kunnersdorf – TSV Kunnersdorf eV.
- Parents' Council of the "Bienenhäus'l" Daycare Center in Kemnitz
- Citizens' initiative "Wittgendorf village community"
- Hiding Place & Lausitz Educational Society eV.
- German Alpine Club Zittau eV – Krauschwitz Local Group
- SHG Parkinson “Südliche Oberlausitz” (award from the Social Network Lausitz)
- Bärbel Moritz (award from the Lausitz Social Network)
ENO, as a dedicated partner of the district,
has been implementing the volunteer budget on behalf of the Görlitz district since 2019. We operate the volunteer portal, which facilitates applications, jury evaluations, and project accounting. We review all submitted applications to ensure they meet the basic criteria. We prepare the jury's evaluation, send out the symbolic checks, and review the submitted photos used for project accounting. We then transfer the approved amount to the project participants. If necessary, we contact applicants to clarify any questions. At the end of the year, we work with our partners to organize the awards ceremony. For us at ENO, it is a particular privilege to be able to support and promote volunteer work in our region so intensively.
