Fundraising
Record for the LZ Christmas campaign with 5,695,426 francs: You helped so many people
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The LZ Christmas campaign achieved a record result of 5,695,426 francs. Thanks to donations from our readers. This result is a huge joy.
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Our region once again shows huge solidarity for Central Swiss in need – the LZ Christmas campaign can report a record result: almost 5.7 million francs have been donated by individuals, families and companies. That is over CHF 300,000 more than last year’s record result. We thank you, dear donors, from the bottom of our hearts for your valuable support.
The advisory board has already checked a large part of the 3520 requests for aid received, and accordingly most of the donations have already been used to benefit people in need. In total, no fewer than 18,752 donations were made. This also proves the broad acceptance and support of the LZ Christmas campaign by the population.
70 million francs since it was founded in 1996
The LZ Christmas campaign, which was carried out for the 26th time, has collected almost 70 million francs since it was founded in 1996 and examined around 52,000 requests for help. It is by far the most successful collection in a Swiss newspaper.
And it goes on. Donations can be made all year round, from now on, deposits will be credited to the next collection, which will officially start in November 2022.
In the last few weeks we were able to portray some of the people we were able to help in the newspaper. It takes courage that those affected make themselves available for a report and is never a condition for our help. You do it voluntarily to support the LZ Christmas campaign yourself.
Their fates, but also their courage and family cohesion have touched us again and again. And of course the difficult times are far from over for all of them.
Little boy with leukemia will have to go back to the hospital soon
For example with the Lucerne family, where the youngest son has leukemia. As was unfortunately to be expected, chemotherapy shows stronger side effects again. The actually lively boy has lost some of his energy, and the whole family has to be prepared for the little one’s new inpatient stay in hospital. In addition, it is uncertain whether the two older siblings can go to school because any risk of infection for the brother must be avoided. “The whole situation is very stressful,” reports the mother of the three children. “We hope that we will get through the next few weeks well and then it will get better.” Of course, the LZ Christmas campaign stays in contact with the family.
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For the second time we were able to report about Andrea. The now three-year-old girl from Nidwalden, who suffered a severe burn in an accident one and a half years ago, has made great progress in the past few months and has given the whole family and us a lot of joy.
“As bad as 2020 was for us, it was so positive in 2021”,
the family reported to us. And another big ray of hope: A few days ago Andrea and her brother Thomas had a sibling.
We have also received good news from the canton of Uri. The farmer’s wife, whose kidneys are practically no longer working, may soon be able to get a new kidney through a suitable organ donation. With that she could finally get well again and exercise her central role in the family with all her strength. Because life on the farm in the mountain zone and with four children is an everyday challenge even under normal circumstances. But the family that we were able to support is starting the new year with great confidence.
If parents are affected, so are their children
Here, too, poverty and need have many faces. One of the greatest risks of poverty is being a single parent. Such situations have long since arisen not only through separations, but also through strokes of fate, when one parent may even die. The LZ Christmas campaign also supported a large number of single mothers and fathers this year. And so do their children.
Thank you letters from people whom we were allowed to help: “Light, warmth and new strength given”
We have received many thank you letters from people whom we have been able to help. A mother of two who is physically disabled after a stroke of fate wrote to us: «Your support will help me in the difficult time I am going through. Many thanks to you, especially your donors. ”
An elderly man, whose wife died this year, reported to us: “You gave me a public transport pass. Thanks to this, it is much easier for me to maintain my social contacts. That is extremely valuable to me. ”
One family sent the following lines: «Thanks to your help, we were able to buy our children urgently needed winter clothes. When it got really cold, we were especially grateful. As a family with limited financial resources, it is not always easy. But you have given us new courage. ”
Another family in dire straits wrote to us: «We are deeply touched and can hardly believe our luck. What we were able to experience thanks to you is a shining light on the path of life. In this way our hearts have received new strength. ”
We have also received a lot of feedback from social authorities and institutions that submit requests for help for those in need. It is representative of what the LZ Christmas campaign means: «Thank you very much for your help. It is unbelievable how generous the readers of the ‘Luzerner Zeitung’ and its regional editions were again this year. Real solidarity is the best Christmas present ever. The whole of Central Switzerland can no longer be imagined without the Christmas campaign. ” (are)
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In any case, young people are directly or indirectly affected by most emergency situations. And often they not only experience a lot of suffering or fall behind their peers, but have to take on tasks that push them to the limits of what they can do. For example, when they help look after a parent, look after younger siblings and do the household chores.
Helping old people out of social isolation
Age can also become a risk of poverty. Most elderly people in Switzerland are materially doing well to very well. But more of them than you might think can only afford the bare essentials. And often after a busy life. Their need is the quietest, because many of them are not used to it or are hesitant to ask for help.
It usually gets particularly bad when the long-term partner dies. Because now a possible loneliness is also accentuated, especially since contacts are becoming less and less and more difficult to maintain. The LZ Christmas campaign was able to help, with some very modest contributions, to get older people out of social isolation and to give them new courage to face life.
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