Internal Newsletter at Deutsche Post DHL

Kids Helping Kids in Japan Transition Back to Normal Life

While children all over the world are getting ready to go back to school, some kids in Chicago were already hard at work.  Earlier this week, students at the German School of Chicago were preparing “KinderCones”, a unique back to school gift filled with treats, sweets, school supplies, journals and letters – for school kids in Japan still coping with the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunamis.  Nearly 100 of these special gift packages were picked up on Wednesday, August 17 by DHL Express in Chicago who donated its shipping services for the charitable cause.

Dating back 200 years, the tradition of the Schultuete or “school cone” is one of the most celebrated and long-standing traditions in Germany.  At the beginning of every school year, children all over Germany set off with their large and shiny Schultueten, also called school cones or sugar cones by many.  These large, colorful school cones, purchased or home-made, sweeten the child’s first day of school as they come filled with little gifts, school supplies and sweets.

The Chicago project is actually part of a larger DHL cross-business unit initiative spearheaded by Andreas Baller of DHL Global Forwarding in Japan.  Andreas is coordinating the collection of over 1,000 of these school cones from 10 countries, as well as pictures and postcards – all intended for schools and youth centers in Japan located in areas hardest hit by the earthquake and Tsunamis. Andreas has received support from all DP DHL divisions, including EXPRESS, GLOBAL FORWARDING, FREIGHT, MAIL and SUPPLY CHAIN.

“The project is under the umbrella of the 150 years of German – Japanese friendship which is being commemorated this year,” said Baller. “It’s an incredible gesture of goodwill for schoolchildren that have had terrible traumatic experiences during the big earthquakes and all of its after shocks.  We work together with the German School in Yokohama, and parents of the students and DHL employees.  It’s great for bringing all DHL business units together for one important cause, terrific for the kids as well as improves cultural understanding.”

Andreas Baller was recently awarded €4,000 by the Living Responsibility Fund for this project, under the partner organization “Kokkyo naki Kodomotachi” (KnK) or Children Without Borders.  He has also received a sizeable donation, 1000 school cones, from Herlitz AG, the leading producer of paper, office supplies and stationery articles in Europe.

More information about the project can be found at http://www.schoolcones-for-japan.com/