Support for start of school

For many families, the start of the school year comes with significant costs. Especially for families with children starting school, buying school supplies can put a big dent in their budget: backpacks, notebooks, pens, gym clothes, art supplies…—the basic supplies alone can cost several hundred euros. Not to mention the additional costs charged during the first week of school for arts and crafts fees, photocopying costs, and so on. For families facing financial challenges, the start of the school year is therefore often a major burden.

As a company that has been committed to digital education solutions for many years, it is particularly important to us to help where support is urgently needed. That is why we have once again participated in the “wünsch mir was” association’s school-start campaign this year.

The nonprofit organization “wünsch mir was” gives gifts to children on special occasions to support families in financial need. In addition to the annual Christmas campaign, we have also been supporting the organization’s school-start campaign for the past few years.

The School-Start Campaign organized by the association “wünsch mir was”  ensures that first-graders living in Austria can start their first school year with a complete set of school supplies—regardless of their families’ financial circumstances. Thanks to the support of individuals and organizations that register with the association as helpers, families facing financial hardship can receive assistance, thereby relieving them of at least one worry.

Supporting the initiatives of the “wünsch mir was” organization is something very special to us. It’s not just about donating money. As a volunteer, you take on an active role by having to buy the gift yourself. That’s exactly what makes this support so personal.

Each volunteer receives a personalized list of school supplies for a child. The list includes all the school supplies required by the respective school—from notebooks and pens to gym bags and art supplies. If desired, a school goodie bag is also included.

In our case, we had the opportunity to put together a school supply set for L. What’s especially nice is that the wish list also includes information such as the child’s favorite color or favorite motive. This allowed us to choose school supplies that were just right for her. For example, we knew that L. loves the color pink and is a big horse fan. That’s why we selected her school goodie bag and a few other school supplies based entirely on her preferences.

It’s precisely these personal details that make this support so special to us. The child becomes more real to us, and the shopping experience takes on a whole new meaning. This way, “our” girl is not only perfectly prepared for her first day of school, but will hopefully also be delighted with school supplies that are just right for her.

For us as a company, supporting various charitable initiatives has long been a tradition. In recent years, we have supported a wide variety of initiatives organized by the “wünsch mir was” association—including the school-start campaign—and we are pleased to be able to contribute again this year.

Education opens doors to opportunities—and these opportunities should be equally available to all children. Through our support, we hope to help ensure that children can start the new school year with joy, confidence, and the necessary supplies.

We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the team at “wünsch mir was” for their tireless efforts, and we are delighted to be working together to promote greater equality of opportunity.