“Sometimes a simple wish seems very small, but for a child it can mean the world.” 

Dear Katharina, could you please introduce yourself? 

I am Katharina Weidenmüller and I run the Schutzengel-Haus (Guardian Angel House) in Steglitz and the LernEngel (Learning Angels) in Pankow. Both houses offer disadvantaged children and young people a space in which they can feel safe and secure. After a shared lunch or snack, we do homework, design creative projects, dance, play table tennis, run, race and listen. Above all, it is important to me to be there for the children and young people with heart and humor. With a hot cocoa we find solutions and let the roots of each child grow a little more every day.  

At Scout24, we organize a so-called wish tree campaign every year before Christmas. In this campaign, we fulfill the wishes of children who live in social institutions in Berlin or receive support from them. This year is the second time that you have participated with SchutzengelWerk. How is the atmosphere among the children when coloring the wish tree cards?  

All of the children at SchutzengelWerk are happy to have the opportunity to freely formulate their wishes. Some children are rather shy and others are very loud. Above all, however, all the children come together at a round "wish tree table" and then it gets very quiet for a short moment, because everyone is busy painting their wish on the beautiful wish tree cards. With: "Look, did I do that well?" the wishing tree cards are then handed in and everyone is happy when they receive their gifts at our Christmas party. 

How does the day of gift distribution work for you?  

Like last year, all the gifts are placed under a decorated Christmas tree. Since Corona is still with us, the children will sit around the Christmas tree in small groups with cocoa, cookies and cheerful Christmas music and open their colorfully wrapped gifts. 

Is there one wish you remember in particular?  

A boy wished for his mother’s favorite board game so that they could play it together. But most of all, he wanted her to take time for him and “see” him for a little while. Sometimes a simple wish seems very small, but for a child - like this boy - it can mean the world for a moment. 

What happens to the gifts after the wish tree campaign?  

Some of their gifts accompany our children at SchutzengelWerk until today. Often the unicorn pencils flash out in the various pencil cases, the headphones hang around the neck and the shimmering red nail polish glistens on the fingernails of a girl who is actually never allowed to wear nail polish. "Do you remember, this was under the Christmas tree for me last year with the necklace." 

What is your personal highlight of the wish tree campaign?  

There are a couple of them. Just the question of a 14-year-old boy: "Why do people want to make us happy? They don't even know us, and maybe they don't even have that much money." shows how much some children think about others; maybe they even think about their younger brother first rather than themselves. These are quite touching moments.  

One highlight, however, was when the boy I mentioned before came into the house one day, completely happy and beaming with joy, telling us that his mother had played the board game with him and had taken time out of her busy schedule to spend an entire afternoon with him. 

Therefore, we all say THANK YOU once again for the wonderful campaign; the beautifully wrapped packages and all the loving lines for our children at SchutzengelWerk in Steglitz, Pankow and Eberswalde: Merry Christmas!