Celebrated 10 years of promotion
Friedel & Gisela Bohnenkamp Foundation was established in 2008
Osnabrück, December 3, 2018
It was a small celebration in a close circle: in Villa Hecker, founder Gisela Bohnenkamp celebrated the tenth anniversary of the Friedel & Gisela Bohnenkamp Foundation together with guests and foundation employees. There was music, retrospectives and outlooks, and many encounters. "It is precisely encounters that have characterized the work of the Bohnenkamp Foundation since it began in December 2008," emphasized Michael Prior, Executive Director. "I am pleased that I can count on so many familiar and close companions in the implementation of the foundation's goals," said the founder during the celebration.
One of these companions is Prof. Dr. Götz Alsmann. The musician, television entertainer and musicologist with a doctorate in musicology has enriched the Board of Trustees of the Bohnenkamp Foundation since its inception: "The objectives of the Foundation are close to my heart in terms of content. A fully comprehensive education is important. But unfortunately, the distribution of opportunities is dragging its feet in this regard," Alsmann said. Changing this is an important concern of the foundation, he said, explaining the reason for his involvement in the ten-member Board of Trustees, which meets twice a year. During the meetings, it discusses and decides on upcoming projects and the future direction of the foundation. The composition is "colorful" with representatives from different areas of society, said Alsmann, which benefits the discussion in the Board of Trustees. This aspect was also emphasized by Prof. Dr. Arno Ruckelshausen: "It's nice to experience that you can make an impact. It is clear to see that the projects of the Bohnenkamp Foundation arouse enthusiasm in those who benefit from them," emphasized the professor of physics at Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences.
The foundation's work focuses primarily on promoting education, upbringing and science, but also on supporting and expanding cultural offerings. On the one hand, the Bohnenkamp Foundation promotes innovative, technically sound and sustainable educational initiatives that improve the opportunities of children and young people. On the other hand, it supports artistic initiatives and publications on cultural issues. In doing so, the Bohnenkamp Foundation has a deliberate regional focus and primarily supports people in the city and district of Osnabrück with its projects. This work was acknowledged by Mayor Burghard Jasper in his welcoming address, in which he named examples of the foundation's projects in the fields of education and culture. At the same time, he transferred qualities that are essential for an entrepreneur to survive in a competitive environment to the work of the foundation: innovation and creativity. "When everyone is involved, society benefits quite considerably," said District Administrator Dr. Michael Lübbersmann in his welcoming address.
Dr. Sven Jürgensen, press spokesman for the city of Osnabrück and author, made a surprising connection between personalities in the city and, in this context, also shed light on the importance of the Bohnenkamp Foundation: it is sponsoring the publication of a book that is to be published next year on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Nussbaum House. In his lecture, Jürgensen referred to links between the thoughts and life paths of Felix Nussbaum, Hans Callmeyer, Daniel Libeskind and Hélène Cixous, which were reflected in the Felix Nussbaum House and the city's history, among other things. Franz-Josef Hillebrandt, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Bohnenkamp Foundation, was delighted with the guests who had accepted the invitation, because they illustrated the Foundation's deep roots in the fabric of the city of Osnabrück: "You all help to ensure that the Foundation's goals are implemented and carried forward," said the former Chairman of the Board of Sparkasse Osnabrück.
The celebration was accompanied musically by seven members of the Neue Hofkapelle Osnabrück, which has been supported by the Bohnenkamp Foundation since 2017. They played a serenade with two pieces from their baroque repertoire: the "Chaconne" by Giuseppe A. Brescianello and the "Air" by Johann Sebastian Bach.