Top-speed support for a day-care centre in Essen

Just how much can be accomplished in just a few hours if everyone on the team pulls their weight was proven just recently by the Market Analyses Unit of the Group Strategy Department, which spent an afternoon doing voluntary work at a day-care centre in Essen.

Unit Head Graham Weale, who had found out about RWE Companius after receiving a tip-off from one of his staff, raised the possibility of combining a team-building exercise with voluntary work at a departmental meeting, where it met with widespread approval.

The RWE Companius Project Office proposed various projects, but in the end, it was the Blumenwiese day-care centre in Essen-Karnap that won the most votes among the enthusiastic employees.

So after the last of the 65 children who attend the centre had gone home one Friday afternoon in early November, the helpers moved in and got down to the job of painting the three activity rooms. To be able to work as efficiently as possible, the group of 15 volunteers split up into several smaller teams and after just five hours on the job had fulfilled the centre’s long-cherished wish to have its interior brightened up by a fresh coat of paint. The day ended with a shared supper at which the helpers discussed the day’s experiences.

“The project was a great experience for our department and a valuable contribution to the development of team spirit,” says a delighted Graham Weale. “I can only urge other departments to follow suit and combine their next team-building exercise with a good cause.”

RWE Companius not only did all the organising, but also provided the necessary funds and materials.