Pusteblume receives record donation from AMF trainees

At the Fellbach Christmas market, the young trainees sold metal products they made themselves which find more customers and devotees every year. The proceeds of the campaign that has now been going on for twelve years are traditionally donated to a good cause.

"Nobody could have imagined that we would beat the record result from last year again ", explains Peter Andrianos, the man in charge of commercial training at Andreas Maier GmbH & Co. KG. The takings from the Christmas campaign, during which the AMF trainees have traditionally sold self-produced products at the Fellbach Christmas market, stand at 17,750 euros. And, as always, the young employees at this traditional Fellbach company donate the amount to a social cause. This time the record donation is going to the Pusteblume hospice service for children and adolescents in Backnang of the Rems-Murr e. V. hospice foundation. Here, families with critically ill children and adolescents obtain support and relief.

Independent working with real application

For twelve years, there has been a project with genuine practical application, which the trainees plan and execute of their own accord. They are diligently supported in this process by the company and the trainers and learn project work under real commercial conditions. Matthias Bäßler, a prospective toolmaker in his second year of training, welcomes the practical element. "Right from the beginning we can plan everything ourselves. And the fixed deadline before Christmas time creates that necessary time-pressure which prevails in everyday practice". For the commercial trainee Ann-Kristin Heitele, what happens with the takings afterwards is also important: "The fact that we support a charitable institution every year is another huge incentive for us".

The range of decorative metallic products now comprises more than 50 items, ranging from useful objects such as bottle openers, to decorative Christmas articles, to games. "There were six additional novelties this year", enthuses Heitele. "The revenue leader, with almost ten per cent of total takings, was a universal bottle opener with a corkscrew", adds Bäßler. The trainees were surprised this time by the many people who just donated without wanting a product in return. Heitele thinks the reason could be down to the marketing campaign because the local newspaper (the Fellbacher Zeitung) reported on the project.

Social donation recipients provide a big incentive

The Pusteblume hospice service for children and adolescents in Backnang of the Rems-Murr e. V. hospice foundation is now looking forward to the record donation. As always, it was the trainees themselves who suggested the donation recipient. The cheque handover took place on Wednesday 14 February at AMF.