Heart's desires
Lukas' Stern e. V.
The Chemnitz association "Lukas' Stern e. V." has been in existence for less than five years before the outstanding commitment of its 18 members was honoured with the "Golden Hen" award in October. They fulfil the wishes of seriously ill people, ranging from playhouses for the garden to short holiday trips. In this interview, the association's board members Daniela Lieberwirth and Christian Frank explain how difficult it can be to make these small and big dreams come true and what drives the members to keep working on fulfilling the wishes in their free time.
What prompted you to found this association?
Daniela Lieberwirth: I got to know Lukas, my neighbour's little nephew. When we found out that he had leukaemia, we got talking and thought about what else we could do for him. When it became clear that he didn't have long to live, we wanted to organise something that he would like. And we managed to do that. And that was the reason for founding this association, because it has always been a project close to our hearts to do something after our work to help people.
Two wishes came true for Lukas: He got to ride along as a firefighter with the Einsiedel fire brigade and he received a visit from animal trainer Nicolle Müller, who brought along a little monkey. "We are very, very proud to have Lukas as the name bearer for our association," says Daniela Lieberwirth. Together with her work colleague, she founded the association in 2016, which now has a total of 18 members. Christian Frank, one of the association's board members, explains: "Each of the people who work in the association has their own story and their own reason for doing exactly what we do."
How did people initially find out that you fulfil wishes?
Daniela Lieberwirth: The start-up period was a little difficult, we sometimes went looking for people ourselves. We used the opportunity to get a lot of information about us in the press. In the meantime, people are approaching us, we're getting enquiries and we're receiving really, really nice, lovely letters.
Do these letters come from all over Germany or from the region?
Christian Frank: Due to the fact that we want to get to know all of our projects personally and can only work for the organisation in our free time, our radius is automatically limited. That's why we can mainly be there for Central Germany. We also sometimes have to turn something down if the enquiry comes from very far away, such as from Saarland, Rhineland-Palatinate or Hamburg. We also have such requests, because the Internet is not limited, but then we refer them to organisations that are active there.
In the year it was founded, "Lukas' Stern" was able to fulfil two wishes; in 2017, the association was able to implement 11 projects and in 2018, 45. Last year, the members were able to fulfil 62 wishes and the number will be similarly high this year, as the association has not let the coronavirus pandemic slow it down.
Which wishes have you already been able to fulfil this year?
Daniela Lieberwirth: The wishes are very, very different. Of course, it is often important for families to be able to take time out together, especially when they are in hospital a lot. Unfortunately, this is hardly possible during the coronavirus crisis. We did manage to send someone to Disneyland this year, but it was really difficult.
But the wishes are as varied as those who express them. We have young people who need contact with the outside world during their long time in hospital, who want to continue school and need a great laptop to make it all possible. There are two-year-olds who want a playhouse for the garden. We were able to send families up in the air together with a balloon or a sightseeing flight and we are very proud of that.
Christian Frank: There are three areas in which you can categorise the wishes. The first is to spend time with the family, with siblings, to be able to take time out. The "material" things - computers, notebooks, mobile phones, games - form the second area. The third area is idealistic wishes, for example to meet celebrities.
We were able to fulfil the wish of a boy who was in the Hamburg-Eppendorf University Hospital and is a Star Wars fan: There is a Star Wars troupe in Hamburg that came to his hospital in full costume. A young woman - she is 16 and a former competitive athlete - has the goal of standing on a stand-up paddle one day. We put the stand-up paddle in her hospital room. She saw it every day and saw her goal anew every day, and in July she sent us pictures of herself standing on the stand-up paddle.
What other challenges have you faced as a result of the coronavirus crisis?
Christian Frank: There are actually two things that have become difficult. The first is that our donations have fallen. In recent years, we have also been supported by companies that are not doing well themselves, that are on short-time work, that of course have other worries and problems, but on the other hand the requests are not decreasing. And the second has to do with the realisation of requests: visiting people at a time when we are in lockdown is of course not possible.
Daniela Lieberwirth: It is difficult. We were regularly in the local hospitals, visiting our young and old patients there. We can't do that at the moment. For example, we have our Max, who is 17 years old and is now celebrating his third Christmas in hospital because he is unfortunately battling cancer for the third time. We have a really great relationship with him, we write to him regularly, try to encourage him and of course it would be nice to be able to just knock on the hospital door and say: "Hey, we're here and we'll continue to support you." It's incredibly difficult for us to see families like that.
Christian Frank: With our work, we very quickly become involved in the family's deepest problem. That's why we're all on first-name terms, because there's no distance. We are sometimes the comforter when families are faced with such stress tests.
Daniela Lieberwirth: This contact is incredibly good for the families and you can tell. They really want to pour their hearts out sometimes and we are happy to listen or give advice. We don't want to say: "Here's your gift!" and that's it. It is simply a matter close to our hearts that we continue to stand by the families, sometimes even after death.
When a wish comes to you, how do you manage to fulfil it?
Daniela Lieberwirth: We discuss in the team to what extent the wish could be realised. Then we start with the organisation. Sometimes things have to happen relatively quickly. Last week, we had a young woman from Chemnitz who needed a specific therapy that had to be continued, which also had to be organised relatively quickly and then, of course, we are happy to be there for her.
Christian Frank: Our work relies on a lot of networking. Buying something somewhere and having it sent - you don't need a network for that. But many specific things - whether it's a rowing machine or boxing training or that someone wants to meet a certain person - that depends on the network. We are very well organised in our 18-strong team. There are a number of people we know in the city who support us, who we can simply put out a call to and ask who can do something specific or knows someone in particular. There is always someone who has an idea.
Who can turn to you to fulfil a wish?
Christian Frank: If there are people somewhere who are in a bad way, they are welcome to approach us. We want to help.
How can people donate to the organisation?
Christian Frank: We are an organisation that relies on donations, we don't have any other income. The more projects we want to realise, the more donations we need. Donations can be made via our bank account, for example, but there is also the option of donating via PayPal.
The association is dependent on donations, which are used 1:1 for the fulfilment of wishes. Lukas Stern e. V. doesn't have an office for this reason: they don't want to spend donations on rent, everything should go one hundred per cent into the projects.
How did it feel to be awarded the "Golden Hen"?
Daniela Lieberwirth: One word: goosebumps!
Christian Frank: For us, the award is a source of pride and motivation. Pride in the sense that we haven't even been around for five years and it's not an award that you apply for yourself. A nomination is already an honour. And when you get the call that you've won the "Golden Hen", you're proud. But it's also a sign that we're on the right track and that there's a huge demand. That is our incentive.
Daniela Lieberwirth: What we do in the organisation is all done in our free time. We all have families who must not miss out. But we are extremely proud that our families are behind us and support this project.
It's clear: Chemnitz is the European Capital of Culture 2025. What does the title mean to you?
Christian Frank: A lot. We became European Capital of Culture and two days later we received the "Golden Hen". That was great! And it has a lot to do with each other: culture is made by people and is there for people. We very much want to make our contribution to the Capital of Culture and be a part of it. We want to show that Chemnitz is different to how it is sometimes portrayed in the media. It's a huge opportunity for us as Chemnitz residents to get out of the "grey mouse" image and perhaps do a bit more and less.
On the Facebook page www.facebook.com/lukasstern.ev/, the people who have been granted a wish by Lukas' Stern e. V. tell their own stories and show how important the work of the organisation is. "There are families who have been hit hard and who have to fight every day," says Daniela Lieberwirth. "We can't make people better, but we can give them a little bit of joy, we can give them a break and that is incredibly important, especially in these difficult times."
Contact:
Lukas' Stern e. V.
Website: www.lukas-stern-ev.de/
Email: lukas-stern-ev(at)web.de
Donation account:
IBAN DE75870520000190030577
BIC WELADED1FGX
Donations can also be made via a PayPal donation link on the organisation's website.