Press Release | Gütersloh, 12/13/2023

Bertelsmann Makes Another Christmas Donation of €25,000 to the ‘Der Weg nach Hause’ initiative

• Around €450,000 donated to the Bethel children’s palliative care team since 2006
• Donation facilitates medical and nursing care in the comfort of home
• No Christmas presents for business partners for 17th consecutive year

Gütersloh, December 13, 2023 – For the 17th consecutive year, the international media, services, and education company Bertelsmann is making a Christmas donation of €25,000 to the palliative care team ‘Der Weg nach Hause’ (The Way Home) and the children’s hospice of the v. Bodelschwingh Stiftungen Bethel, a Bielefeld-based foundation. As in previous years, Bertelsmann is foregoing Christmas gifts for its business partners this year.

At Bertelsmann’s Corporate Center, Bertelsmann Chairman & CEO Thomas Rabe presented a check to Dr. Rainer Norden, Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board of the v. Bodelschwingh Stiftungen Bethel foundation, Prof. Dr. Eckard Hamelmann, Director of the University Clinic for Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine at the Bethel Children’s Center, and Dr. Peter Schürmann, Senior Physician of the outpatient palliative care team ‘Der Weg nach Hause’.

Thomas Rabe says: “I have the greatest respect for the exemplary work that Prof. Hamelmann and Dr. Schürmann’s teams do every day. In addition to competent medical and nursing care, critically ill children first and foremost need the care and security of their families. The ‘Der Weg nach Hause’ initiative makes this possible. I am delighted that we have been able to make a contribution to this for so many years now with our Christmas donation.”

Eckard Hamelmann explains: “The ongoing financial support from Bertelsmann helps us to continue to provide children and young people and their families with the medical care, nursing, and support they need during this difficult time. The number of families requiring support in the Ostwestfalen-Lippe region is rising all the time. This year, we will use the donation in particular to expand the social legal advice provided to families at home and at the Bethel children’s hospice.”

‘Der Weg nach Hause’ enables seriously ill children and adolescents with a limited life expectancy to receive outpatient treatment in the familiar and safe environment of their family home. The project thus combines specialized multi-professional care with the security of a familiar home environment. Bertelsmann has supported the initiative with about €450,000 since 2006.

About Bertelsmann
Bertelsmann is a media, services and education company with 85.000 employees, that operates in about 50 countries around the world. It includes the entertainment group RTL Group, the trade book publisher Penguin Random House, the music company BMG, the service provider Arvato Group, Bertelsmann Marketing Services, the Bertelsmann Education Group and Bertelsmann Investments, an international network of funds. The company generated revenues of €20.2 billion in the 2022 financial year. Bertelsmann stands for creativity and entrepreneurship. This combination promotes first-class media content and innovative service solutions that inspire customers around the world. Bertelsmann aspires to achieve climate neutrality by 2030.