Minister President Wüst presents Bocholt's Leo Engenhorst with the anniversary honorary service card

Minister President Hendrik Wüst has now honored the long-standing commitment of eleven citizens and thanked them for their exemplary commitment to honorary office. At a ceremony in the House of History of North Rhine-Westphalia in Düsseldorf, the Minister President presented the new "North Rhine-Westphalia Jubilee Honorary Service Card".

Wüst presented the award together with Andrea Milz, the State Secretary for Sports and Volunteerism. The anniversary honorary office card is awarded to committed individuals who have held or held an honorary office for at least 25 years.

"Volunteerism is an expression of public spirit and solidarity. We want to make the commitment of people who have been volunteering for many years more visible and honor it," says Minister President Hendrik Wüst."

"They all play an active role in shaping things: in their city, in their neighborhood, in their initiatives or associations," said Wüst, praising the commitment of the eleven volunteers. The citizens honored at the ceremony come from the municipalities of Blomberg, Bocholt, Bochum, Brilon, Düsseldorf, Haan, Cologne, Münster, Versmold, Wermelskirchen and Wiehl and have been active as volunteers for many years in areas including the fire department, home affairs, youth, children, church, culture, politics, social affairs, sports and the environment.

Bocholt's mayor Thomas Kerkhoff also congratulated Leo Engenhorst on receiving the anniversary honorary service card. "You thus stand for the many people of Bocholt who are committed to their neighbors and the people of their city and thus make an invaluable contribution to the well-being of society," said Kerkhoff.

Leo Engenhorst from Bocholt has been involved in voluntary work in a wide variety of areas for more than 50 years, and still holds 14 honorary offices today. Among other things, he is a member representative of Volksbank Bocholt, an honorary judge at Bocholt District Court, an arbitrator, an employee of the Bocholt Volunteer Agency and chairman of the Bocholt-Mussum hunting association. He also holds honorary offices in several Bocholt parishes.

Engenhorst reports on the successful event. "We were welcomed and looked after so kindly by the employees of the NRW State Chancellery that it was a super afternoon overall with a really nice program," says the Bocholt resident. "However, I alone would not be able to carry out the various activities without the many other volunteers around me, who can always be relied on. Without this community, it wouldn't work at all. That's why I feel the honor in Düsseldorf is representative of the entire honorary office in Bocholt," says Leo Engenhorst.

About the North Rhine-Westphalia Volunteer Card

The "Jubiläums-Ehrenamtskarte Nordrhein-Westfalen" is valid for life. It supplements the "Ehrenamtskarte Nordrhein-Westfalen" already introduced in 2008 by the state government in cooperation with the districts and municipalities. This recognizes citizens' intensive commitment over time, and 288 municipalities (including ten counties) are already participating in this project.

As a thank-you for their voluntary commitment, honorary card holders can benefit from more than 4,700 discounts at public and private institutions and at many companies throughout the state. The criterion of a certain minimum number of hours worked per week or per year required for the "Ehrenamtskarte Nordrhein-Westfalen" is not applicable for the "Jubiläums Ehrenamtskarte Nordrhein-Westfalen".

The Jubilee Volunteer Card will also be available in Bocholt in the future. As soon as the relevant materials have been made available by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, the city of Bocholt will provide more detailed information on this. Information on the honorary activity card, which has already been awarded in Bocholt since 2013, can be found on the homepage of the Volunteer Agency at www.wir-fuer-bocholt.de/freiwilligenagentur.

General information about the "Jubiläums-Ehrenamtskarte Nordrhein-Westfalen" and the municipalities and districts participating in the project is available at: www.engagiert-in-nrw.de/ehrensachenrw