On Saturday, we celebrated our 10th anniversary together in the Catholic parish hall – with an international breakfast that could hardly have been more colourful, lively and heartfelt.
About 80 adult guests and around 30 children were there and showed how diverse and warm Leichlingen can be.
🎉 10 years of solidarity in action
What began as a spontaneous idea in 2015 is now an integral part of our city.
Almost 70 volunteers are now involved in Leichlingen Hilft – several new ones were added in the last week alone.
They support you in learning German, accompany you through the “bureaucratic jungle”, help in everyday life, organize the wish tree campaign, cooking evenings, parties, translations into 14 languages and much more.
“We would never have thought that such a strong community would emerge from a small idea.”
– Önder Balkaya, Chairman
🍽️ A buffet like a journey around the world
Our buffet was a real highlight – with specialties from:
Ukraine • Iran • Turkey • Mexico • Syria • Germany and many other countries
In the end, almost everything was empty – a good sign for taste and community!
🎶 Music, Dance & Emotions
The band 5000 MILES thrilled with Iraqi-Kurdish and Iranian singing.
Many guests sang and danced along spontaneously.
Svitlana Marchuk with Ukrainian songs and an oriental dance performance also provided goosebumps and a lot of applause.
“It was impossible to stay seated – the music went straight to the heart.”
–Participant
🎅 St. Nicholas visit: Radiant children, moving moments
For the children, St. Nicholas was the highlight of the day.
He gave away lovingly packed St. Nicholas bags – and he even got something in return:
A child presented a self-painted picture that amazed the hall.
“My daughter was completely overwhelmed.”
– Mother of a participating child
🎨 Creative workshop with Marius Böcher
While the adults were having breakfast, the children were transformed into little artists and craftsmen.
Under the guidance of Marius Böcher the following were created:
- Horses
- Christmas Angel
- Christmas trees
- Birds
- and other wooden figures
Many children were so engrossed in their work that they even wanted to create two or more figures .
❤️ Diversity is our strength
Our basic attitude has remained unchanged for ten years:
No hurdles. No explanations. No exclusion.
All offers are free of charge – for all people.
“Diversity is not a difficulty. Diversity is our strength.”
– Önder Balkaya
🧹 Together until the end
We were particularly pleased:
Almost all guests helped clean up.
Pure community – until the last minute.
“It feels like family.”
–Visitor
🙏 Thank you!
A big thank you to our supporters:
KOMM-AN NRW • Brandt Butcher’s Shop • Bergische Bauernscheune • Abrahams-Trout
Bakery & Confectionery Willeke • Bürgerstiftung Leichlingen
And of course to our volunteers, without whom this festival would not have been possible.
⭐ View
The anniversary breakfast was a wonderful start to our 10th anniversary year.
And we can already reveal one thing:
👉 In the coming weeks, some surprises await you!
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