For the Christmas season, the ''eins vo fünf'' association once again came up with a special gift campaign: over 500 children and families in need were able to make a wish for a Christmas present worth a maximum of CHF 50 by drawing or making a card themselves. Almost 150 of these wish cards were displayed on wish trees at Baloise in Basel and could be picked and fulfilled by Baloise employees. The remaining 380 or so wish cards were displayed in shops in the region and were ready to be fulfilled by customers. The children's personal wishes ranged from balance bikes and bicycle helmets to toys such as action figures and Lego, to crawling blankets and baby walkers.
The collaboration with ''eins vo fünf'' for the wish tree campaign is now taking place for the second time. This collaboration came about thanks to an idea from Philipp, who heard about the organisation's Christmas campaign and thought that it would be a good fit for Baloise. "Children in the region are supported, they receive a Christmas present that they have wished for and Baloise employees can do good in a simple way". Philipp admires the association's commitment and was delighted that Sandra and Tanja, organisers of the wish tree campaign and CSR managers at Baloise in Switzerland, took up the idea, supported it and organised its implementation.
"We have received consistently positive feedback. This year, there were more and more requests from employees who wanted to get involved beyond the wish tree by providing additional support to families or organising leisure activities together. One employee even bought 150 children's surprise eggs - a heart-warming gesture that shows how committed our employees are," say Sandra and Tanja.
«We are grateful for the commitment of our employees. It fills us with pride to see how they actively take on social responsibility. Their commitment makes a significant difference and contributes significantly to our CSR initiative.»
The employees were enthusiastic about the campaign and were happy to contribute to the Christmas joy of the children and families. As CSR managers, Tanja and Sandra were delighted to see such great commitment. They have once again decided to work with the ''eins vo fünf'' association as they know exactly where the gifts are going and that they can bring a smile to the faces of many children in need. "The partnership with Theo, the association's president, is a matter close to our hearts," say Tanja and Sandra.
"Our main goal is for our employees to cultivate social awareness and actively engage in social causes. The CSR campaigns in Switzerland focus on investing time in social commitment. Although we occasionally combine monetary donations, our main focus is on promoting social responsibility. We are delighted with how much our employees are already doing in this area," say the CSR managers at Baloise.
According to the Federal Statistical Office, there are almost 300,000 children living in poverty in Switzerland (as at 2021). This corresponds to around 20% of all children living in Switzerland, or ''eins vo fünf''.
''eins vo fünf'' is a politically and denominationally neutral, non-profit organisation based in Basel. Its aim is to provide quick, unbureaucratic and direct material and/or immaterial help to children, young people and families in need in the Basel region. On request, the organisation never provides cash to help with financial emergencies, but rather goods and benefits in kind such as food, clothes, shoes, school equipment and toys. These applications are mediated by specialists who have an insight into the family circumstances of those affected through professional contacts or other relationships and therefore know where support is needed. "eins vo fünf" receives its funding from its members, patrons and donations.
According to its annual report for 2022, the association received 380 applications for support in 2022, with a support contribution of over CHF 108,000. 43% of the applications related to leisure and sport, 23% to clothes, shoes, food and toys. The remaining applications related to holidays, school camps, training and school as well as the medical sector.
Baloise is active in various areas of CSR across all national companies. The personal responsibility of each individual is also important for corporate responsibility. That is why we support the commitment of our employees beyond Baloise. In 2023, Baloise organised a militia and volunteer event for the first time to show appreciation for the voluntary commitment of employees, which was also about sharing experiences and learning from each other.
"We are grateful for the commitment of our employees. It fills us with pride to see how they actively take on social responsibility. Their commitment makes a significant difference and contributes significantly to our CSR initiative. Thank you very much for your support," say the CSR managers at Baloise.
You can find out more about Baloise's commitment to CSR here.