“One hour for people in need” raises €520,000 in donations to benefit the SR/SWR flood disaster relief campaign

They donated numerous work hours as well as vacation days. This raised a considerable sum, which was matched by the companies to total an impressive €520,000. Joerg Disteldorf, Chief Human Resources Officer for Dillinger and Saarstahl, together with representatives of the works councils of both companies, handed the check over in Dillingen today to Thomas Rosch, program director of SR1 and representative for SR’s “Matter of the Heart” (“Herzenssache”) program.

"We are proud of the great willingness to donate and overwhelmed by the amount donated,” Joerg Disteldorf said. "The solidarity among employees is very strong and deserves our appreciation. We thank all the employees for making the fundraiser such a resounding success.” And Michael Fischer, Chairman of the Group Works Council of SHS – Stahl-Holding-Saar, emphasized: “We have launched our first-ever joint campaign by Dillinger and Saarstahl – and it was very well received. Thank you to all of our employees for your extraordinary participation.”

The money is going to the SR/SWR “Matter of the Heart” campaign for flood disaster relief. “Thank you very much for this tremendous outpouring of support,” Rosch said. “We want to use the donations to provide relief and quick assistance to the victims of the flood disaster. Among other things, we are supporting the establishment of a contact point for families in Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler as well as camps and holiday activities for children and young people from the affected regions to help take their minds off what’s happened. This sum is so far the largest donation in the history of Aktion Herzensache.”

The companies already began providing leave time in July to some employees who are active in various relief organizations such as the Technical Relief Service (THW) and the German Red Cross (DRK), and who were sent by these organizations to the flood areas. The leave time covered their deployment periods. Many were shocked by the extent of the damage and the hardships faced by the people in the area. Consequently, everyone involved was all the more happy that the campaign concluded so successfully.

About SHS – Stahl-Holding-Saar, Dillinger and Saarstahl

Founded in 2001, SHS – Stahl-Holding-Saar GmbH & Co. KGaA (SHS) is today an operational management holding company which since 2010 has been actively taking on activities for the Saarland steel companies Dillinger and Saarstahl. Dillinger is a leading manufacturer on the market for heavy plate made from steel for machine manufacturing, the offshore wind industry, and the construction machinery and steel construction sectors, among others. Saarstahl is a premium manufacturer of wire rod and bar steel for use in the automotive industry, in machine manufacturing, and in the construction sector. Both companies are working in unison to grow, become more flexible and enhance the competitive edge in their respective markets. Some 13,000 people worldwide are employed under the SHS umbrella. More information available at www.stahl-holding-saar.de

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