Shooting stars make children’s wishes come true

“All children have dreams at Christmas. Some dream of a cuddly teddy, others of a racing car or some other toy. But many of them dream in vain because of the difficult circumstances in which they are growing up. And those were the kids we wanted to help,” say the trainees of RWE Service GmbH, RWE IT GmbH and RWE Power in Cologne. Which is how the Shooting Star Campaign – and all those little stars decorating the cafeteria Christmas tree – came about.

Together with the children from the Kinderheim Anna Stiftung e.V. in Cologne, the trainees made lots of little stars on which they wrote the children’s names and their wishes. The RWE employees in Cologne were then asked to take a star off the tree and to fulfil the wish written on it. The campaign met with an enthusiastic response. The organisers collected monetary donations totalling €4,300 as well as contributions in kind worth € 3,200 – including a kayak tour. Nor was it just the employees themselves who made the children’s dreams come true. The management of RWE IT and various other companies also took part in the campaign with additional support provided by RWE Companius. This meant that there were enough gifts not just for the 54 children of the Anna Stiftung, but for the young residents of the children’s homes in Cologne-Sülz as well. A special Christmas party was organised at which the children received their presents. Not that the trainees came away empty-handed. What better reward could there be than seeing so many children’s eyes light up with glee?!