Mayor Dr. Felix Schwenke presented honorary letters from the state of Hesse

Gertrud Helduser received the letter of honor from the state of Hesse for her decades of voluntary work, which has had a lasting impact on Offenbach's social landscape. Her career began as a qualified social education worker with a teacher traineeship, where she first worked at the Fröbel School and later at the Käthe Kollwitz School. From 1988 to 2011, she was a city councillor in the Offenbach parliament. During this time, she was a member of the Social Committee, the Youth Welfare Committee and the Social Commission. In 2011, she was awarded the honorary title of City Elder for her many years of commitment. Gertrud Helduser was also involved in all committees that dealt with the elderly. For example, she was involved in the creation of the plan for the elderly - a project in which the future Lord Mayor Dr. Schwenke was able to experience her. She was also involved in the preparation and founding of the Seniors' Council. Her many years of work in the Offenbach Workers' Welfare Association (AWO) deserve special mention. Helduser was active on the board for over 28 years, including as deputy chairwoman, and made a significant contribution to the scandal-free financial restructuring of the association. She was also heavily involved in the training of nursery school teachers and in the daycare centers in OF. Even in retirement, Gertrud Helduser remains a driving force in the social sector. She is currently on the advisory board of the Alzheimer's Society in the Offenbach region and is an active member of the Senior Citizens' Council and the "Lebenswert" association for alternative forms of housing and multi-generational living, which she has been a member of since 2009.

"You are a 'social woman' through and through. Even in your current apartment, you are once again a silent caregiver, helping neighbors where necessary and being active in the community. You also lend a hand - on a voluntary basis. And that's exactly what we're saying thank you for today, that's why you're being honored today," said Schwenke.

Markus Merkel was honored for his exceptional voluntary commitment to the Eintracht Offenbach music association over decades. He has been a member since 1993 and, after several positions on the board, has been the first chairman of the Musikverein Eintracht since 2010.

As Managing Director and later Chairman, Merkel was instrumental in securing the association's performances and financial stability. He represents the association in public and promotes harmonious cooperation on the board and throughout the association. Under his leadership, the 125th anniversary celebrations were a great success. Thanks to his active intervention in the form of a hygiene concept and the installation of a ventilation system, the Musikverein Eintracht was able to successfully survive the coronavirus pandemic.

Markus Merkel's commitment is also reflected in the association's constant presence at numerous local festivals and events, such as the Tower Festival or the Festival of Clubs in Bieber, the Christmas Market or the Mainuferfest, where he often lends a hand himself as Chairman. Mayor Schwenke emphasized that the members of the association consider themselves lucky to have Markus Merkel at the helm and nominated him for the award. The Lord Mayor gladly complied with the request and added that Merkel is also committed to the next generation of the association: "At seven weeks old, your son is the youngest member of the Musikverein Eintracht Offenbach" and congratulated the new father on the new addition to the association and the family.

Esther Schwoll was born in Frankfurt am Main and grew up there. "Today, Frankfurters are the largest group of immigrants to Offenbach with a share of 25 percent," emphasized the mayor with a wink. When Esther Schwoll moved to Offenbach in 1975, this was still an exception. She was involved in the Protestant Johannis parish - from 1976 in the mother service, from 1977 to 1989 as a member of the church council and sexton. She was also active on deanery committees, ran a youth club and took part in summer camps for five years.

She was a co-founder of the Frauenforum association and actively campaigned for women's rights in the Offenbach Women's Alliance, including their participation in the selection of the city's first women's representative. She was also politically and civically active in Offenbach: as an assessor in the Chamber for Conscientious Objection (1984-87) and in the city's objection committee (1985-1990). She had to decline election as a city councillor in 1985 for family reasons. In 1993, she became involved in the Commission for the Equality of Women.

She has been active in the VdK since 2011 and has held various positions there, including secretary of the local association, treasurer of the Offenbach-Stadt district association, district representative for social policy, social advisor and secretary of the Darmstadt district. Since 2016, she has represented the VdK district association Offenbach-Stadt in the social commission of the city of Offenbach.

Lord Mayor Dr. Schwenke emphasized the considerable workload of her voluntary activities: "Now you can ask yourself: If the woman does so much voluntary work, what does the man do then?" and moved on to the next award.

Helmut Schwoll moved to Offenbach with Esther and their first daughter in 1975. His conviction was to become socially involved in order to quickly feel at home in a new environment. In the same year, he joined the 1861 Offenbach Bieber gymnastics club, where he worked as a youth coach and referee in the handball department for 15 years. His teams were promoted to the regional league until professional reasons reduced his commitment.

Schwoll joined the SPD in Offenbach in 1977. He held numerous offices there, including as chairman of the AG60+, and is still active in the local association today. From 1979, like Esther, he was involved in class and school parent councils. When Esther became sexton of St. John's parish, he volunteered to look after the technical facilities and was the man for all minor repairs.

Towards the end of his professional life, Helmut Schwoll joined the VdK. In 2015, he became deputy district chairman of the VdK Offenbach Stadt district association before being elected district chairman in January 2016. Under his leadership, the number of members rose from around 1,450 to 2,270. He also revived Remembrance Day in the Offenbach-Stadt district. In the summer of 2018, he also became deputy chairman of the VdK Darmstadt district association and its chairman in 2020.

One of his key concerns is accessibility in the home and public sphere. Under his leadership, the VdK is therefore actively involved in the Municipal Action Plan for Inclusion (KAI) in WG 6 - Mobility and Accessibility.

The Lord Mayor was delighted that the VdK has a strong presence in Offenbach's urban society under Schwoll's significant involvement: "Just like the Eintracht music club, the vdk also uses the Mainuferfest or the Christmas hut to present itself."

After living in Karben for a long time and already being active in the VdK there, Angelika Stoltze moved to Offenbach with her partner in 2017. There she continued her work as a social legal advisor at the VdK office. She has now been providing this advice for 15 years. She has been involved in the VdK in various roles for over 20 years. She was local association chairwoman in the Karben district association and junior representative in the Friedberg district association. She is currently chairwoman of the Offenbach Süd-Tempelsee district association and women's representative in the Offenbach Stadt district association and on the Darmstadt district board. She has also been an assessor in the state association since 2023.

In addition, she has been actively campaigning for women's rights for years and played a leading role in the organization of "Equal Pay Day" in Darmstadt, even under difficult circumstances such as the coronavirus pandemic.

"Your commitment to the needs of children and young people with disabilities is also a matter close to your heart. You regularly organize and supervise parent-child weekends. You have also been active as a lay judge for almost ten years and for the past year you have also been an honorary judge at the social court - an impressive CV," said Lord Mayor Dr. Schwenke in recognition of the honoree.

Lord Mayor Dr. Felix Schwenke paid tribute to Manfred Vater as one of the most outstanding personalities in water polo in Germany. A recognition that is also confirmed by the Hessian Swimming Association. Vater was an active water polo player at EOSC Offenbach, where he is still a member today and with whom he was German runner-up in 1969 and German Cup winner in 1972. Since 1968, i.e. for 57 years, he has been the water polo keeper of the Hessian Swimming Association. For decades, Manfred Vater has represented water polo at German and international level in an honorary capacity.

He led the German national water polo team as manager at three Olympic Games: 1988 in Seoul, 1992 in Barcelona and 1996 in Atlanta. He was also appointed as a referee for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. Vater also demonstrated his expertise on the DSV Water Polo Committee from 1976 to 2004 and as Secretary of the LEN (now European Aquatics) Water Polo Technical Committee from 1994 to 2012. He also represented DSV water polo in the German Sports Aid for many decades.

"For his outstanding voluntary work, he was made an honorary member of European Aquatics in 2017, and the South German Swimming Association's water polo trophy now bears his name, the 'Manfred Vater Cup'," emphasized the mayor.