Germany

Gardening at Alveni

Aspen Germany supported Alveni Residence for the second year as part of their Mandela Day activities. Alveni cares for about 60 male teenagers and young adults who have been traumatized and who need help dealing with daily challenges that they experience school, with their emotions and with conflict management. The young men are treated by qualified staff who provide a safe and welcoming home that fosters an environment to build a positive foundation.

Many of the 2018 volunteers joined the Aspen team of 15 again this year and they were all warmly welcomed at Alveni where they attended to different areas of the large garden. The hedges and meadows were cut, weeds were removed from the herb garden and the entrance area cleared. The biggest task of the day was planting a lot of flowers that would attract bees to the garden.

Alveni is solely dependent on donations and volunteers to assist in areas such as the garden, yet this did not deter their staff from serving a refreshing lunch to Aspen’s employees.

Eva Waedt, Aspen HR Manager said, “We all had a great time and a lot of fun helping out at the home. It was a very nice change from day-to-day office work, and it was amazing to see how the little changes that we made could improve the condition of the environment tremendously at Alveni. The team enjoyed the opportunity to make a difference for others who they do not even know, and we all left with content spirits knowing that our day had been beneficial to the residents at the home.”