Elisabeth Waibel is one of ten citizens who will be awarded the Baden-Württemberg Homeland Medal this year. On Friday, Science Minister Petra Olschowski (Greens) presented her with the medal at a ceremony in Neresheim.
The commitment of those honored this year ranges from local and regional history research to national culture, the preservation of customs, dialect and art history, as well as social and integration work.
“It is a great blessing to be located in one’s homeland. It also brings with it a responsibility, which the citizens who are being awarded the Homeland Medal today bear in an exemplary manner thanks to their commitment. They are ambassadors of a feeling, a memory, a longing or an attitude and bring us closer to the concept of home in its most beautiful meaning. They create places, meeting places, opportunities for dialogue, and ensure an understanding of historical structures and processes of the present. In this way they also strengthen the cohesion in our society,” said Petra Olschowski, Minister for Science, Research and the Arts.
The presentation of the homeland medals traditionally marks the start of the state festival as part of the Baden-Württemberg Homeland Days. This year, the Homeland Days are being organized jointly by the Härtsfeld communities of Neresheim, Nattheim and Dischingen.
About Elisabeth Waibel
Justification of the country for awarding the medal
“Since joining the DRK Ehingen local branch in 1973, Elisabeth Waibel has helped with almost all blood donation campaigns and many operations – for example during the snow disaster in February 1999, the Iller flood at Pentecost 1999, the 2006 flood in Illerkirchberg and during fire operations in Munderkingen, Rottenacker and Ehingen.
When the border of the former GDR fell in September 1989 and the immigrants were accommodated in the Alb-Donau district, Elisabeth Waibel helped to set up emergency accommodation in the former Franciscan monastery. Elisabeth Waibel was involved in two relief shipments to Temesvar/Romania in 1990, which were carried out by the Ulm district association, and later also helped to collect donations.
In 1994, Elisabeth Waibel took over the position of emergency manager in the Ehingen OV, a position she held until 2000. During this time, she set up the emergency aftercare service in Ehingen and is still responsible for its organization and management today. Another major time and organizational challenge is her work at the Ehingen social fund “Citizens for Citizens”, which she set up for the Ehingen Red Cross in 2007.”
