Together for a better world: As part of the company-wide Community Day employees of Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield got involved with the “help and hope foundation”

Around 115 employees of Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) spent a whole day at Gut Königsmühle in Dortmund on October 27, 2022. The estate is run by the “help and hope foundation” with the idea of creating a place of learning and experience for children and young people. Shortly after the outbreak of war in Ukraine, accommodation for refugees was also created at Gut Königsmühle. A number of projects were on the agenda: among others, the extension of a construction trailer as a workshop for children, the construction of shelves for school classes, a new fence and the repair of playground equipment. A donation of 15,000 euros provided the teams with the necessary building materials and made URW an official supporter of the foundation. The previously determined kitchen team had prepared a traditional meal together with refugees from Ukraine to keep all the helpers in a good mood.

This year’s Community Day involved employees from URW’s headquarters in Düsseldorf as well as from all company-operated locations in North Rhine-Westphalia, including Westfield Centro in Oberhausen and Ruhr Park in Bochum. URW is holding additional Community Days at the company’s other locations in Germany this autumn so that all 450 URW employees in Germany will take part in such an initiative. All Community Days are concerned with supporting projects or institutions in the areas of social welfare, education, culture or environmental protection. The Community Day is part of URW’s sustainability strategy “Better Places 2030”.

Paul Douay, Director of Operations Austria & Germany and responsible for sustainability at URW, says: “For us at Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, charitable and social commitment is an integral part of our corporate strategy and a core element of our ‘Better Places 2030’ agenda. It is therefore natural for us to take responsibility and contribute to local communities with the help of our assets and our teams.”

Andrea Eggers, Head of Marketing Austria & Germany and responsible for community-oriented cooperations at URW, adds: “It is always impressive what can be achieved in one day when many people work together hand in hand. We are very happy about our cooperation with the ‘help and hope foundation’ – and especially about the fact that we were able to make a contribution here that will ultimately benefit the children and young people who visit Gut Königsmühle.”

The monetary donation of 15,000 euros enabled the foundation to buy all the material needed for the Social Day and officially makes URW a silver sponsor of the foundation.

A good place for all people
The “help and hope foundation” runs Gut Königsmühle with the general idea of creating a place of learning and experience for children and young people. The aim is to give them a better future and to create interesting experiences. Four modules are offered for day-care centres, schools and clubs, in which various skills are taught in a playful way. Shortly after the outbreak of war in Ukraine, accommodation for refugees was also created at Gut Königsmühle. Here, refugees are helped with administrative procedures and applications, and they are also supported in finding accommodation.

Sandra Heller, CEO of the “help and hope foundation”, says: “We are very happy to have Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield as a strong partner on our side and are very grateful to the teams for their support. This was the third time they provided us with their manpower. They painted, sanded and worked so that many parts of Gut Königsmühle shine in new splendour. A big thank you to all involved!”

Better Places: Sustainability strategically anchored at URW
URW is committed to an ambitious sustainability strategy to address the biggest challenges facing the real estate industry. The strategy contains three pillars “Better Spaces”, “Better Communities” and “Better Together”. The first pillar includes aspects of ecological sustainability, such as resource-saving construction and operation of properties, measures on the way to emission-free business or the promotion of modern mobility. The second pillar focuses on the company’s assumption of social responsibility and, in particular, fostering local communities at various destinations. The Community Day and the cooperation with the “help and hope Foundation” can also be found in this context. The third pillar contains guidelines on how each individual URW employee can get involved in the company’s sustainability efforts and how business partners can be encouraged to actively participate in order to fulfil the ambitious tasks of the agenda. The mandatory participation of URW’s teams in the Community Day falls under this pillar. The overall commitment to Better Places is regularly reviewed on the basis of defined indicators and progress reports.

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