For Christian Schuster, working on 24 December has been a matter of course for eight years. "It's a matter of course for me," says the full-time quality manager. Colleagues with children should be able to celebrate Christmas together, he explains, and he simply celebrates on a different day. Dominik Kaiser has also been doing the Christmas service for 17 years. "I really look forward to it every year, because you always meet lots of familiar faces on the Christmas night shift, even at the police station or hospital."
Young volunteers with great motivation
This year, Mara (19), Emanuel (20) and Fabian (22) will be on duty together for the first time at the Pregarten branch on 24 December. They got to know each other at the Red Cross and are now a well-oiled team and close friends. "We want to be there for people and are already looking forward to serving together," says Mara. Emanuel and Fabian add: "It's such a good feeling to be able to help people and find solutions to their problems. And you get so much gratitude in return."
The Christmas missions range from scheduled trips to visit families to emergencies. "We treat the patients at Christmas just as we do the rest of the year. Everyone deserves the same attention and care," emphasises Schuster. At the same time, the emotional atmosphere is particularly palpable on these days.
There for Upper Austria around the clock
Every year between 24 and 26 December, more than 1,900 mostly volunteer rescue service employees are on call for around 1.5 million Upper Austrians, supported by more than 700 dedicated care and social service workers.
This is #schongenial because these volunteers help when others are celebrating and show how strong solidarity, humanity and voluntary commitment make our society.
