Festival at Bellevue Palace
Steinmeier calls volunteers role models
September 8, 2023, 5:04 p.m
Last year, the Federal President’s citizens’ festival was canceled due to a storm. This year the celebration can take place as usual. In the garden of Bellevue Palace, Steinmeier thanks around 3,000 citizens for their voluntary work. “All of you here are role models,” he says.
Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has called for Germany not to be made worse than it is, despite the times of crisis. At the opening of the community festival in the park of his Berlin official residence, Bellevue Palace, he also thanked the volunteer guests for their commitment.
“All of you here are role models. You are all encouragers,” said Steinmeier, according to the previously published speech manuscript. “They are all Germany. They represent the many who hold our country together every day. They are the strong backbone of our democracy.”
This festival does not take place at a normal time. Many people were worried, including him, said Steinmeier. “I worry because there are too many who badmouth our democracy and too few who engage in it. I worry about so much faintheartedness and despondency in our country – a country that is so much better than we are to admit to ourselves in everyday life.” And he thinks above all of the many people who are committed to making our society a little better – “and who rarely receive applause for it, but are instead treated with hostility or attack.”
“It’s time for unity!”
The Federal President and his wife Elke Büdenbender invited around 3,000 volunteer citizens from all over Germany to the community festival in the park of Bellevue Palace. They wanted to honor their voluntary work in the service of society.
Non-profit organizations, initiatives and companies provided information about their activities in the castle park. The range of voluntary commitments ranged from environmental and nature conservation to international youth work through to sport, education, social and cultural projects and inclusion.
“We need to shine even more light on all of these people who are doing their best for others,” said Steinmeier. The times are difficult and challenging. “But these are not times for retreat and isolation, for resentment and being bossy! It’s time for unity!” The Federal President called on people not to forget what makes Germany strong: “humanity, community spirit, tackling things and confidence.”
More guests than usual
This year’s community festival was busier than usual. Last year’s guests were also among those invited. At that time, the festival had to be stopped before it had even started due to a storm. At the time, Steinmeier had promised the disappointed visitors that he would invite them back this year.
Thorsten Boomhuis from Nordhorn in Lower Saxony also got his second chance. Since the beginning of 2020, he has set up the “PingPongParkinson Germany” association, which, according to him, now has around 1,400 members nationwide. Table tennis can’t stop Parkinson’s, but it can slow it down, explained the 49-year-old. The fact that he received another invitation after the disappointment last year was “of course great,” he said. “It’s quite an honor, but you didn’t necessarily have to do it.” Steinmeier said he was not a weather prophet. “But looking up, I dare to say: There won’t be any rain getting in the way of this community festival today.”