Around 200 participants came to the fair and enjoyed an entertaining program and an excellent buffet. The event is the city's way of thanking the many people who volunteer in and for Idar-Oberstein.
In his speech, Lord Mayor Frank Frühauf emphasized the great importance of voluntary work. "Volunteering is the backbone of our urban society. It is the silent engine that keeps so much going - in clubs, in the fire department, in sport, in culture, in social institutions, in emergency services or in environmental and animal protection. Without volunteer work, Idar-Oberstein would not be what it is: a lively, supportive and liveable city". That is why "the council, the administration and he personally are particularly keen to acknowledge this commitment", continued the Lord Mayor.
One item on the program of the Volunteer Festival is always the recognition of special sporting achievements. And there were quite a few of these last year, with Mayor Frühauf inviting successful individual athletes and two teams to join him on stage. Dennis Lukas from LG Idar-Oberstein took second place in the German shot put championships last year with a distance of 19.33 meters. TV 1848 Oberstein was strongly represented. Jonas Jäckel, who was unable to be there in person due to a competition, became German champion M16/17 in the shot put. Ulrike Conradt also achieved a special achievement with her participation in the Ironman World Championship in triathlon. The TVO's rope skippers were again particularly successful in 2024. Sara Bizer became German champion in the Triple Under and Team 1 with Julia Kannengießer, Katrin Ryan, Peri Ann Houk and Maike Preuß became German champions in the Double Dutch Speed. The rope skippers also took part in other championships, including the European Championships in Hungary and the European Open Tournament. This qualified them for the World Championships in Japan.
Last year, the "Blazing Fusion" cheerleaders and their coach Carolina Dasch won the German Championships and qualified for the World Championships in Orlando. When thanking the honorees, Julia Kannengießer for TV-Oberstein and Carolina Dasch for Idarer Turnverein agreed that participating in international competitions is always a major financial challenge for the athletes and the clubs and that
After the award ceremony, the cheerleaders gave a demonstration of their skills. The audience was amazed at the cheerleaders' performance. It was a great advertisement for this challenging sport.
Wolfgang Röske was then awarded the Golden Badge of Honor of the City of Idar-Oberstein for his more than four decades of voluntary work.
Wolfgang Röske was chairman of VfL Algenrodt for more than 20 years, has been on the board of the Algenrodt horticultural association for almost 30 years and has been a member of the board of the Algenrodt interest group for around 30 years. For VfL Algenrodt, he has put his heart and soul into the expansion and renovation of the club's own gymnasium and sports grounds for many years. In his laudatory speech, Mayor Frühauf said: "Anyone who has been so intensively committed to their fellow human beings over four decades - in clubs, in local politics, in urban society - does not do so out of vanity, but out of conviction, out of a sense of responsibility and out of love for their homeland".
In addition to his extensive involvement in the Algenrodt district, Wolfgang Röske was also active as an honorary judge and in various board functions in the German Armed Forces Association. "The Golden Badge of Honor is the highest award that the city of Idar-Oberstein bestows for voluntary work, it stands for consistency, a sense of responsibility and energy - and for people like Wolfgang Röske," Frühauf continues.
By resolution of the city council, this outstanding work has now been honored with the Golden Badge of Honor of the city of Idar-Oberstein.
In a short speech of thanks, Wolfgang Röske also called for financial support for voluntary work not to be cut any further.
After the official part, which was skillfully accompanied by the Village Blues band, the evening moved on to the relaxed part. With an excellent buffet from the "Zum Alten Keiler" restaurant in Horschbach, cool drinks and a relaxed atmosphere, there was plenty of room for good conversation and a lively exchange between the many volunteers.