How the foundation changed my life – Interview with Jens

It was at the beginning of 2017, when our teams were informed at an internal AEB event that AEB and Mr. Belz (AEB's founder) were setting up a foundation. As I had already gained insights from friends at other companies into how company-owned foundations work and what they can achieve, I was immediately enthusiastic about it. I was motivated to get involved and help shape it right from the start.

I am part of the group "foundation pioneers". This team, consisting of three people, initially had the task of sorting and reviewing the proposals submitted for foundation projects – all of which came from the AEB workforce, by the way – and then deciding which ones could be considered. So far, three actively supported projects have emerged from the proposals.

We keep our eyes open, we listen closely, and we use established connections to find new ideas and projects and to exchange experiences within the Stuttgart foundation network.

It's just wonderful to see how the AEB-Stiftung can bring so much joy and smiles to people, even with "small" means. And – the "foundation pioneers" continue brainstorming on how to implement the idea of setting up a completely new, independent project for the AEB-Stiftung in Stuttgart in the future. This dream would go beyond an own project and encompass the set up of an own foundation house, i.e. a direct point of contact.

My involvement in the foundation in combination with the connections to the Stuttgart Foundation network has enabled me to see how many companies are active with their own foundations and which small and large projects are supported worldwide. It's great to be able to play my small part in this together with the AEB-Stiftung.