Mr Ünal has been supporting the Frankfurt Foundation for Children with Cancer for many years. At his employer – the Deutsche Post AG postal logistics centre in Frankfurt’s Gutleutstrasse – he noticed that employees often disposed of their returnable bottles on site without collecting the deposit. This gave him the idea that these bottles could be collected and the deposit donated. With the agreement of the shift manager, Mr Ak Sakal, a large cardboard box was built from existing materials and labelled with an appeal for donations for the Frankfurt Foundation for Children with Cancer. In the beginning, the bottles were placed individually in the supermarket deposit machines, but later, with the support of Metro in Frankfurt, they were handed in by the carton. The campaign ran for a total of 18 months. An impressive 2,150 euros were collected.

To ensure that the employees at the logistics centre also know where their deposit money goes, the two visited our research centre on their behalf and got an idea of the work on site. They also came up with the idea of establishing the deposit boxes in other postal centres.

We would like to thank Mr Ünal for this great campaign and all (bottle) donors for their great support for research into new cancer therapies for children and young people.

Photo (from left): Mr Faruk Ünal, Managing Director Mr Marcus Klüssendorf

Last week we had a visit from the Palatinate. The Managing Director of LUCHS LUBRICANT GERMANY, Susanne Heirich, presented the foundation with a cheque for € 10,000. The contact came about at a recent award ceremony for the foundation, after which employees of the foundation and Mrs Heirich had a long chat about the foundation’s work. Some parallels with Fuchs Lubricants were discovered. Research is also being carried out there to continuously improve the products and avoid unwanted side effects. We are also constantly researching new treatment options to cure all children suffering from cancer and to avoid or minimise late effects. Impressed by the research activities, Susanne Heirich has championed our cause in her company.

During their visit, Susanne Heirich and her colleague from Marketing, Ute Fey, were convinced of the need to support this important work. Further ideas for co-operation were therefore discussed. We hope to remain in close contact with Fuchs Lubricants Germany in the future.

We would like to thank everyone at Fuchs Lubricants for making this donation possible in order to improve the lives and futures of children with cancer.

Photo (from left): Mr Rauch, Ms Dommsch, Ms Heirich, Mr Klüssendorf

In a moving campaign, pupils from class 6b at the Kreisrealschule Gelnhausen sold home-baked biscuits and muffins in the school hall before Christmas. For a symbolic price of €1, they raised an impressive total of €200. But what makes this biscuit sale special is the pupils’ decision to donate the money raised to the Frankfurt Foundation for Children with Cancer.

On 23 February 2024, the pupils had the opportunity to travel to Frankfurt in person to hand over the money collected on site. But before they handed over the donation, they took the opportunity to ask Prof Michaelis many questions, which he answered patiently and in detail. The students’ questions demonstrated their genuine interest and sensitivity to the topic of cancer. For example, they wanted to know how many children and adults develop cancer, what the chances of recovery are, what leukaemia means and how chemotherapy works.

Under the guidance of scientists from the foundation, the pupils were able to view leukaemia cell lines under the microscope, which not only aroused their curiosity, but also deepened their understanding of the appearance of cells and their significance for research. A special highlight was also the storage of the cell lines in cryotanks with liquid nitrogen at -196 degrees.

Class 6b’s initiative not only demonstrates their social commitment, but also their willingness to actively support a good cause. This campaign is a touching example of how children and young people can make a positive contribution to society through their initiative and solidarity. The pupils of class 6b have shown that they not only think about themselves, but also about those who need support.

Photo: Kerstin Hartmann