Barbecue in Honor of Volunteers in Hilden on September 8, 2026
💛 Thank you for this special evening!
About 250 volunteers attended our barbecue on Tuesday. Invited were all holders of the NRW Volunteer Card, representatives of Hilden’s clubs and organizations, and members of the city council.
An evening full of great conversations, delicious food, and a wonderful atmosphere. Even the sun stayed out for a long time. ☀️
This evening was our way of saying thank you to you—for your time, your dedication, and your commitment. Your efforts make a difference!
Thank you for being here. 🙏
P.S.: Do you also volunteer but don’t have an NRW Volunteer Card yet? Then visit www.hilden.de/ to learn more about the Volunteer Card and apply for one—because it’s also your ticket to our next volunteer barbecue. 💛
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Volunteer
Volunteering is an indispensable part of our society. It is easy to recognize its importance when you imagine what life would be like without volunteers in the social and political sphere and in associations.
Without this commitment, our society would not only be poorer, it would simply not function in many areas.
The importance of voluntary work continues to increase because the state is reducing its public duties for financial reasons or is no longer able to fulfill them to the same extent as before.
At the same time, the more companies are under economic pressure, the less willing they are to support voluntary work.
Volunteers do not generate revenue, but perform regular services for the general public - for example as volunteer firefighters.
Changes to the volunteer card in 2026
We would like to take this opportunity to inform you about the changes when switching from the Hilden volunteer pass to the NRW volunteer card.
History
In order to make the valuable work of volunteers more visible and to emphasize their importance to the public, the city of Hilden launched a "Volunteer Day" and the "Volunteer Exchange in the Mittelstraße" back in 1996. On these days, dedicated citizens are thanked for their commitment, their work is highlighted and honored or the associations are given the opportunity to present themselves to the public on Mittelstraße.
Experience to date has shown that such events are very well suited to supporting voluntary work. Nevertheless, it is not the only way to promote voluntary work. In view of the increasingly important role of volunteering for our community, it is a key objective to highlight this commitment even more effectively and publicly.
Consistent public action is required to strengthen the motivation for voluntary work. Where the administration reaches its limits due to limited financial or personnel resources, it is important to win over other players in public life for active participation.
The demographic development in Hilden
Another factor that should not be underestimated is demographic development. While the proportion of people aged 65 and over was still 12.4% of Hilden's population in 1975, this group had risen to 23.9% by the reporting date of December 31, 2014. According to forecasts, this proportion will increase by a further 6.7 percentage points by 2030. There is enormous potential here in terms of knowledge, experience and time that needs to be put to good use for the general public.