News | Gütersloh, 05/12/2025

Gütersloh Spring Festival Donates To The German Stroke Aid

280 distinguished guests from the region came to the Parkhotel at the invitation of Liz Mohn and Thomas Rabe.

On Saturday evening, some 280 guests from the worlds of business, politics, society, and healthcare attended the Gütersloh Spring Festival at the Parkhotel at the invitation of philanthropist Liz Mohn and Bertelsmann Chairman & CEO Thomas Rabe. The regional VIPs not only spent an entertaining evening in an atmospheric setting, but also contributed to the cause by making a donation to the German Stroke Foundation: At last count, around €52,000 was raised for work done by the foundation established by Liz Mohn in 1993. The money will be used to expand regional projects, such as training volunteer stroke helpers and promoting self-help efforts.

Bringing people together to do good

“It’s wonderful to be continuing the wonderful tradition of the Spring Festival,” said Liz Mohn, who is President of the German Stroke Foundation and host of the special event format, which this year took place for the 36th time – the festival made its debut in 1985. Then as now, the idea is to bring together people from important societal sectors to collectively do some good. Once again, Bertelsmann was well represented, including by Supervisory Board Chairman Christoph Mohn and his wife Shobhna, Bertelsmann Executive Board members Rolf Hellermann, Immanuel Hermreck, Carsten Coesfeld, and Thomas Coesfeld, and a number of other senior managers from the Group, including Arvato CEO Frank Schirrmeister, Dirk Kemmerer, CEO of Bertelsmann Marketing Services, Steven Moran, Chief Learning Officer and Chief Partnership Officer of Bertelsmann, and Karin Schlautmann, Head of Bertelsmann Corporate Communications. Günter Göbel, Chairman of the Bertelsmann Group Works Council, also attended. The Bertelsmann Stiftung foundation was represented by its Executive Board members Brigitte Mohn and Daniela Schwarzer. Other guests included Gütersloh District Administrator Sven-Georg Adenauer; Wibke Brems, Chairwoman of the Green Party in the North Rhine-Westphalian state parliament; Gütersloh Mayor Matthias Trepper and former Mayor Maria Unger; Clemens Tönnies, Director and Managing Director of the Premium Food Group, with his wife Margit; Thorsten Kaatze, Chairman of the Management Board of Evangelisches Klinikum Bethel; Dirk Kleinemas, Managing Director of Kleinemas Fleischwaren; Karin Miele and Markus Miele, Member of the Management Board of Miele; Amir Samii, Vice President and Deputy Medical Director of the International Neuroscience Institute Hanover; Gerd Oliver Seidensticker, Member of the Management Board of Textilkontor Seidensticker; and legendary soccer coach Otto Rehhagel.

The German Stroke Foundation’s work

In her speech, Liz Mohn spoke, among other things, about the value of friendship, which is a particularly intense and valuable form of human solidarity. And solidarity between people and in societies is needed more than ever today. This is especially true for the younger generation, said Liz Mohn. “We need to show young people real prospects again and encourage them to be active. Many have special talents and skills that are waiting to be discovered and encouraged. The opportunity to contribute their ideas and talents is invaluable for the development of our youth and our society. They are the foundation on which our future is built,” she emphasized, referring in this context to a project in which her Liz Mohn Foundation, together with the Bethel Clinic, aims to help young people overcome the loneliness they often feel.

Every year, some 270,000 people in Germany suffer a stroke. Since 1993, the German Stroke Foundation has been committed to preventing strokes, supporting those affected on their way back to life, and improving patient care. Together with the German Stroke Society, the foundation has certified more than 350 stroke centers, creating an almost seamless Germany-wide network for acute patient care. Patients and their relatives can find advice and help in about 330 self-help groups, while 29 regional advice centers provide local support to those affected. 180 regional representatives - doctors all of them - volunteer their time to raise awareness and improve care. To date, the stroke pilots have supported more than 4,000 people affected by stroke in the city of Gütersloh and across the Ostwestfalen-Lippe region. These trusted companions provide support to patients and their families during the difficult time after a stroke. Their work is supplemented by volunteer stroke helpers. Schlaganfall-Hilfe has trained 60 helpers in the Gütersloh region to date.

As the three-piece party band “Sunrise” provided live music, the guests then enjoyed the culinary delights prepared by the Parkhotel team under the direction of Sönke Tuchel, and took advantage of the opportunity to enjoy many conversations and the occasional trip to the dance floor.