"Jan Böhmermann and Olli Schulz Set Sights on Charity with 'Christmas Circus'"
Political satirist Jan Böhmermann and popular musician Olli Schulz are teaming up for a good cause. The pair announced on their joint podcast that they'd be hosting a fundraising gala, dubbed the "Festive and Fluffy Christmas Circus," to support various social projects in Saxony-Anhalt, Brandenburg, and Thuringia.
The trio of beneficiaries for the funds raised during the gala includes the Buchenwald and Mittelbau-Dora Memorials Foundation, the Johanniter children's home "Pusteblume" in Burg (Spree-Neiße district), and the "Partnership for Democracy" initiative in Köthen. Additional donations have been pledged to Hateaid, an organization focused on combating hate speech.
Olli Schulz reached out to the Brandenburg children's hospice "Pusteblume" before the official announcement, sharing their support for the organization. Kathrin Verzino, an associate of the hospice, expresses gratitude and joy due to the unexpected support. Finances are consistently a concern in their line of work, with funds going towards the care of parents and siblings of terminally ill children.
The initiative based in Köthen, supported by a federal program, is currently facing difficulty due to budgetary uncertainty for the coming year. Representative Tina Rose of the initiative looks forward to the proceeds from the gala, which can help in planning events such as Christopher Street Day celebrations, as well as reactivating a network for equal social participation.
Jan Böhmermann also took to the podcast to commend the work of the Buchenwald and Mittelbau-Dora Memorials Foundation, praising their educational efforts and vowing to ensure such atrocities don't occur again.
These memorial sites, located near Weimar and Nordhausen, respectively, served as concentration camps during WWII. Approximately 280,000 individuals were deported and around 116,000 perished in the Buchenwald camp, while 60,000 had to perform forced labor and 20,000 lost their lives in Mittelbau-Dora.
The Fundraising drive for the "Christmas Circus" is set to take place at the Berlin Natural History Museum on the 16th of December. Donations can be made online.
Charity platforms of note:
Key takeaways:
- Celebrity duo Jan Böhmermann and Olli Schulz team up for a charity gala, aiming to raise funds for social projects in Saxony-Anhalt, Brandenburg, and Thuringia.
- Organizations such as the Buchenwald and Mittelbau-Dora Memorials Foundation, the Johanniter children's home "Pusteblume", and "Partnership for Democracy" initiative in Köthen will receive support from the fundraising efforts.
- Antihate speech organization Hateaid is also set to benefit from the campaign.
- Olli Schulz personally contacted the Brandenburg children's hospice "Pusteblume", expressing their support and gratitude is received.
- The initiative in Köthen faces funding challenges and anticipates the proceeds can aide projects like Christopher Street Day celebrations and social inclusion networks.
- A federal program currently funds the initiative, but budgetary uncertainty for the coming year threatens their operations.
- The "Festive and Fluffy Christmas Circus" will take place online, collecting donations on the 16th of December.
