New variants of the "Honorary Service Card" in Bocholt

Mayor Thomas Kerkhoff recently presented numerous volunteer cards and at the same time presented a series of innovations relating to the volunteer card that have now been introduced in Bocholt.

Jubilee volunteer card

Since last year, the state of NRW has been offering the anniversary volunteer card, which is now also being awarded in Bocholt. This special card is awarded to people who have been involved in voluntary work for at least 25 years. Unlike the regular volunteer card, no minimum number of hours per year is required. The anniversary card is valid for life and can also be proposed by third parties.

Digital volunteer card via app

The city of Bocholt has also been participating in the "Digital Volunteer Card" since the beginning of the year. Volunteers can use the free app "Ehrenamtskarte NRW" to apply for the card online and receive it on their smartphone. Volunteers can then use the app to identify themselves. The app also provides an overview of all the benefits in NRW and makes it possible to obtain an additional analogue card if desired or to convert an existing analogue card into a digital one.

Volunteer card also for "Juleica"

The city of Bocholt has decided to link the volunteer card and the youth leader card (Juleica). This means that Juleica holders who are involved in voluntary work can now also apply for the volunteer card.

New partner: INTAKT dance school

23 local benefits are already available in connection with the volunteer card in Bocholt. The INTAKT dance school is the latest partner. Holders of the volunteer card receive a 20-euro voucher for all dance courses at the dance school. Vouchers for authorised persons will be sent out via the city's volunteer agency in the next few days. The voucher is transferable and can be passed on by recipients to children or grandchildren, for example.

Rainer Howestädt, Volunteer Coordinator for the city of Bocholt, emphasises: "With these innovations, we have bundled all the opportunities offered by the state of NRW in connection with the volunteer card and implemented them in Bocholt. We hope that this will not only honour long-standing commitment and promote digitalisation, but also make volunteering more attractive for young people."

Information on bocholt.de

All information on the changes as well as application forms and an overview of the benefits are available online at www.bocholt.de/ehrenamt or can be collected from the Volunteer Agency's contact point in Langenbergstraße.