Corporate Social
Responsibility Report
2021
SERVICE MEMORY 4LIFE EUROPE
T hank you for being there!
2021 was a year of many challenges for each and every one of us. But it was even more for those families who were already in a situation of vulnerability given the crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Throughout the whole year, Foundation 4Life has been more present than ever, giving its best to serve these families with children and adolescents wholeheartedly. In Europe, we are proud of the work done in 2021, and we thank all 4Life Affiliates, customers, and employees who have given a grain of love to one of our most precious pillars: service. In this corporate social responsability report we want to share each of the initiatives made from different European countries to provide solidarity, love, and support to those who need us most.
What’s service for you?
Service is at the heart of everything 4Life does. It’s in our DNA as a company and it’s a value we all share. What is service to you? This is a question we asked some of our 4Life Affiliates and employees. Watch the video and get inspired about what service means to each one of them!
Aldeas Infantiles SOS Spain
The “SOS Love Packs” campaign consisted of creating emergency packs for children and families in Spain, Portugal and Italy. A total of €12,500 was raised. This donation went entirely to support Aldeas Infantiles’ emergency plan to alleviate the social crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The total raised was used as follows: - 67% to cover the basic needs such as food, medicines, basic hygiene, among others. - 20% to address the educational challenges from homeschooling by supporting children with electronic devices, internet connection, and professors to assist them in their lessons. - 13% was earmarked for psychological and emotional support for families. Thanks to the donations made, we were able to support 83 children and their families to cover their basics needs. Read the original Children Village Report from Spain here.
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“Beyond the business opportunity, 4Life is also an invitation to provide service and support to those who need it the most”. – Salvatore Sacca
SOS Villaggi dei Bambini
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I taly The Covid-19 pandemic has put us under a lot of strain and although things are fortunately improving, the long-term effects are worrying. This is why 4Life, the Foundation 4Life, in partnership with SOS Villaggi dei Bambini, wants to give the best of itself in terms of commitment, solidarity and social responsibility with the campaign: “SOS Love Pack”. Thanks to 4Life’s support, and its donation of f €2,100, SOS Villaggi dei Bambini has been able to provide moe hours of support for homework and socialising activities, and to increase the number of meetings with psychologists and educationalists in order to guarantee that the children and young people who are guests of the SOS Children’s Villages receive continuous and constant support in their development. More information about SOS Villaggi dei Bambini please clic here! Read here the memory of the last years where you will see everything 4Life Europe has done for SOS Villagio dei Bambini.
“Thinking about others is also a way of thinking about ourselves. And that is a beautiful feeling of fulfilment!” – Alexei Bravo
Aldeas CriançasSOS
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Portugal
Through the 4Life Foundation, € 2,000 were donated to Aldeias de Crianças SOS Portugal to support families affected by the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. Find more information here about Aldeias de Crianças SOS in Portugal and they multiple projects to support their most vulnerable Children.
T he Good-Night-Bus Germany
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The Good-night-bus is an association that drives into Düsseldorf’s old town again at night from 10 p.m. to bring a warm meal to those who have not made it into a shelter or still provide them with blankets, sleeping bags as well as hygiene articles. Dirk Hanten is a 4Life affiliate based in Germany. He and his family has got involved to this project as far as they can. Dirk Hanten is also involved as a caterer and cook a healthy meal for the homeless every two weeks. This is very gladly accepted, also because in this case, it is not leftovers that are overcooked. It is a lovingly prepared meal made from very good raw materials from the region - that is what they value. They do it because they can and because they want to do something good for these people. The gratitude of these people is so wonderful and cannot be compared with anything else. Above all, they have become aware that they have something to be thankful for.
“Donations are always helpful. But taking the time to help, listen or enjoy a walk together is sometimes worth more than all the money in the world.” – Isabell Renner
Rosa-Settemeyer-Stiftung
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Behindertenheimat Germany
Our employee Isabell Renner, Sales Specialist for Germany and Austria, has been involved with the Rosa-SettemeyerStiftung Behindertenheimat (Residence for People with Disabilities) in Norderstedt (Hamburg) since March 2021. The foundation is home to adults with intellectual or multiple disabilities who live together in family-style residential units. Isabell accompanies the residents once a week during their therapeutic riding sessions. She has also helped to make the foundation more visible online by setting up and managing a betterplace.org page and Facebook account. “The residents have mainly taught me that you don’t need much to be happy. The weekly contact with them keeps me grounded and also helps me to
go through life with my eyes more open. Nowadays I offer help to the elderly or people with disabilities more often. It is astonishing how difficult it can be, for example, for people with limited mobility to enter buildings, move around in shops or even go to the toilet in restaurants. I’m incredibly grateful for having my eyes opened in this way and hope that many other people can also start to look at the world through different eyes.” – Isabell Renner Isabell only discovered the foundation by chance through contacts but hasn’t regretted the decision to get involved for one single second. In almost every town there are organisations that would be delighted to receive external help, whether in a volunteer capacity or as a side job.
Helping is fun!
One of the cornerstones of social commitment is that people help each other. Helping others is another way of feeling that we are contributing to making the world a better place. No matter how small or simple we can help others, every action makes a difference in making us happier through service.
Leben mit Behinderung Hamburg Germany
Leben mit Behinderung Hamburg is one of the largest providers of integration support in Hamburg. 1,500 families with disabled relatives have joined the parents’ association, which has been helping these families for more than 60 years. It advises and supports the individuals on their personal life journeys. Leben mit Behinderung Hamburg Sozialeinrichtungen gGmbH, the supporting organization, has a wide range of offers in the areas of living, working, education, and leisure time. The holiday trips are a significant part of the offer. They release the burden on the caregiving relatives and give the participants space to learn and enjoy new adventures on a holiday tailored to their needs. An incredible amount of resources are required to provide an appropriate holiday offering for around 125 children, adolescents, and adults each year. In 2021, Foundation 4Life made a generous donation of 2,500 euros, which was used to make important purchases for the holiday trips. As well as material for playing and doing crafts, urgently required equipment such as walkie-talkies and video baby monitors were acquired. The donation from Foundation 4Life was also partly used to finance the costs of excursions and entrance fees.
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“It’s a source of great pleasure that we’ve been able to support this exceptional organization in Hamburg for many years. The excursions offered are a bright spot for every participant and provide a welcome diversion.” – Gregor Koch
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MENSCHEN.LEBENe.V. Germany
MENSCHEN.LEBEN.e.V. is a cross-generational project that was founded by members of the Positive Global Change Team in Hamburg in 2017. The association actively supports and initiates various projects to counteract social and cultural impoverishment. The aim is also to improve the future prospects for children and adolescents and help them become confident young adults with a sense of self-belief.
The coronavirus pandemic and related lockdowns have had dramatic consequences for many people. In particular, the pandemic has had a significant impact on the health of children and adolescents. The loss of social contact as a result of distance learning, a lack of exercise due to social distancing rules, and a ban on contact during sports and leisure activities have left their mark on the children and adolescents affected. Consequently, many of them have started eating large quantities of unhealthy fast food and sweets out of sheer frustration. Together with the restrictions imposed in their daily lives, this behavior is having a negative impact on the physical and mental health of children and adolescents. Many families can no longer afford the costs of membership in a sports club or pay the fees for sports classes. That’s why the MENSCHEN.LEBEN.e.V.
association launched the “Fun, games & exercise” initiative throughout Germany in December 2021. Under this initiative, MENSCHEN.LEBEN.e.V. pays the costs or fees for various sports in clubs and classes. Since December 2021, 24 children aged between 9 and 17 have been allowed to become more active by participating in activities such as swimming, fitness courses, and dance classes. They’ve also been able to try out club sports such as judo, football, cheerleading, kickboxing, and ballet. Depending on the sport, the annual membership cost in the relevant sports clubs ranges from €260 to €450 and MENSCHEN.LEBEN.e.V. also buys the necessary sportswear for the children. Foundation 4Life donated 1,000 euros to support this fantastic initiative.
“Sport is essential for children and adolescents. It enables them to work on their physical awareness and allows them to interact with people of a similar age to learn what it means to be part of a team and develop friendships.” - Gregor Koch
Solidarity Actions Europe 2021
DONATING A PERCENTAGE OF YOUR MONTHLY BONUS WHEN BUYING, YOU CAN DONATE €1, €5 OR €10
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BUYING A SOLIDARITY GADGET, YOU DONATE 1€
WAYS TO COLLABORATE
BY CALLING OUR CUSTOMER SERVICE
FOUNDATION 4LIFE SOLIDARITY ACTIONS SOLIDARITY ACTIONS CARRIED OUT BY AFFILIATES
*Not all the money raised during the year is reflected in the project donations. The money that is left over is a cushion that we use to make one-off emergency donations, as in the case of the conflict in Ukraine.
Children indeed are the future. It is a privilege for 4Life to do everything in its power to provide the best possible foundation for them through education, nutrition and a safe and loving home. In this way, we will contribute so that children may create a truly extraordinary life of their own.
6 Projects €34,590* Thanks to the different ways of donating and collaborating for the Foundation 4Life, we have all raised €34,590 for the most vulnerable children during 2021.
The Foundation 4Life Europe have supported 6 different social initiatives that impacted the lives of many families and children around Europe.
350 smiles We have positively impacted on the lives of about 350 children, including their families.
Corporate Social
Responsibility Report
2021
4LIFE EUROPE