"Personally, I am delighted every time that my idea, which I was hesitant to put forward at the time, has already helped so many people. That makes me honestly a little proud."
We move people – Carola Kemmerer by interview
For more than 10 years, Carola and her colleagues have been organising the Umicore Christmas market and the best thing about it for them is that they support people in need directly in the region.
"Working at Umicore means for me, even when it shows how ‘human’ we can all be?, that I can enjoy each and every day the really good collegial environment, the constantly changing challenges in my job and simply the ‘great place to work’. #ProudToBeUmicore"
Since 2011, the doors of the Umicore Christmas Market have opened annually in the run-up to Christmas for a good cause. Together with your colleagues, you laid the foundation for this beautiful tradition and are still involved in the Christmas market today. How did this idea come about?
“At the time, I noticed that the interaction between the individual Umicore units was limited. Looking for something that would strengthen the feeling of togetherness beyond departmental or divisional boundaries, I came up with the idea of an event by and for Umicore colleagues. And, in addition, also for a good cause: there it was, the first Umicore Christmas market.”
Umicore also shows its sustainability commitments in its support of regional partners. From the beginning, donations were collected to support people in the region and with the "Freunde und Förderern Lamboy Tümpelgarten", the right non-profit association was found. Can you tell us more about this?
“At the time, we were looking for an institution which deducted as little as possible or even nothing is deducted from the donations for basic costs of the organisation. As much as possible, 100 per cent should go to those in need. A colleague mentioned the Hanau district of Lamboy as a socially deprived area. So I contacted the parish office because many of the people in need are known there. This developed further and that's how the contact to the Lamboy Tümpelgarten Support Association (Förderverein Lamboy Tümpelgarten) came about.”
What is special about the Umicore Christmas Market and what do you personally take away from this project?
“Phew - there are so many things: The special thing is that over the years almost all units have participated at least once. "We are Umicore" in perfection, so to speak. Or feedback like 'I felt like I was at a wonderful, big team event' are particularly nice for me to hear. The smell of 'Kaiserschmarrn' and waffles, the cosy atmosphere, the enthusiasm with which some colleagues have been participating again and again for many years. For me, this is proof that each and every one of us with an idea can make a difference. Personally, I am delighted every time by the buzz of voices, the happy faces and the fact that my idea, which I was hesitant to put forward at the time, has already helped so many people. That makes me honestly a little proud.“
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