When the midwife becomes a volunteer colleague

More than 23,900 people volunteer with the Red Cross in Upper Austria. In the Innviertel there are 5,300 volunteers who work for a good cause and help people in need. Two of them are 26-year-old Lukas Furtner and his older colleague Ludwig Schlichtner. The two paramedics work in the Riedersbach local office (Ostermiething municipality) and have a very special relationship with each other.

26 years ago, Schlichtner became a midwife during a rescue mission. Little Lukas didn’t want to wait any longer and saw the light of day at home after the rescue workers around Ludwig Schlichtner arrived. Now, more than a quarter of a century later, the two are active together for the Red Cross. “It’s a very special feeling,” they both agree.

In search

Furtner, who lives in Franking, is currently studying at the Technical University in Graz and is writing his master’s thesis there. In his free time, he enjoys getting involved with the Red Cross, says the 26-year-old. In order to meet the demands of the future and ensure supplies for the population, the Red Cross is currently looking for volunteers like him.

“It is possible to get involved at any age. The feeling of community is priceless and the activity is also important for personal development,” says Red Cross President Walter Aichinger. “No matter whether in the rescue service, in the visiting service, with Meals on Wheels, as an employee in one of our Red Cross markets, in working with young people or in many other areas. The areas of activity are very diverse.” The volunteers come from all parts of the population and are the heart of the humanitarian aid organization, said Aichinger.

Further information at www.passende-jacke.at or at 0732/7644-157