60 Henkel employees support athletes at the Special Olympics World Games

From backyard games to world games

What started as a backyard summer camp in 1968 became the world’s largest sports organization for people with intellectual disabilities: The Special Olympics movement counts over 3 million active athletes worldwide. This June, 55 years after its foundation, 6,500 of them travelled from all over the world to Berlin, Germany, to compete in 26 disciplines in what is the largest sporting and humanitarian event in 2023: The Special Olympics World Games. Under the motto #UnbeatableTogether, the event advocates inclusion, equity, and acceptance of people with intellectual and multiple disabilities. On site with the athletes was an international team of 60 Henkel volunteers who cheered, encouraged, consoled, and most importantly, tore down walls for a more inclusive society.

The Special Olympics World Games in numbers

Desk swapped for stadium

Our Henkel volunteers gave their all to support the athletes at the Special Olympics World Games. Let’s see what they got up to during their voluntary work – and how different their days looked compared to a normal workday at Henkel.

8 am: Rolling the day off!

Part of Jörg's task is to try out the boccia court himself.

It’s 8:00 o’clock in the morning in Berlin. For Henkel employee Jörg Ertl his day as a volunteer at the Special Olympics has just started. Around this time, he’d usually be at Henkel’s adhesive technologies production site in Heidelberg, Germany, to steer the cleaning process of production parts with external partners. At the Special Olympics in Berlin, he instead makes sure the boccia court is well prepared for the first matches of the day. Part of this task is to try out the court himself – a fun start to the day!

Jörg is not a first-time volunteer at the Special Olympics. He has previously been to the Special Olympics Germany in Hanover and Kiel. “Seeing the athletes’ dedication and spirit, the joy when they compete in the games and the tears while being honored during the award ceremonies, is inspiring, impressive and humbling,” Jörg says. For Jörg it’s important to show his support to people with intellectual disabilities, make them feel seen and stand up for a more inclusive community – whether it’s at the Special Olympics in Hanover, Kiel, or Berlin or as a representative for colleagues with disabilities at Henkel in Heidelberg.

9 am: Let the games begin!

Kirsten watches closely the results of the boccia matches and enters them into the system.

Kirsten Sanchez is also one of the 60 Henkel volunteers at the Special Olympics in Berlin – at 9 am, she takes over the tasks of the Scoring Master. This means she has to watch closely the results of the boccia matches and then enter the live match results into the system so they can be broadcasted – an important and thrilling task for the Head of Finance at Henkel Portugal and Spain. At her desk at Henkel, she would usually be getting ready for her work day, plan her most urgent tasks and dive head-first into some strategic documents – quite different to watching professional boccia players getting their game on!

11 am: Making sure everything goes smoothly!

Melissa and Anna speak to the referees to ensure the boccia competitions goes smoothly.

At 11 am Melissa Jacobs, Senior Paralegal at Henkel North America, and Anna Khalipova, Customer Service Intercompany Agent responsible for export business at Adhesive Technologies between North America and Europe, are in a close exchange with the boccia referees to align the allocation of tasks before the next matches start. Quite the change from their regular work day where Melissa would be managing litigations and Anna would be talking to affiliates for her regions.

Melissa knows the Special Olympics very well. At home, she has been involved in the coordination of the Special Olympics Connecticut. But the World Games in Berlin are a highlight for her – not only does she get to see athletes from 176 delegations but she also enjoys meeting her fellow Henkel volunteers. For Melissa being a volunteer does not only mean giving back but also to connect, make friendships and come together as a community. “Being at the Special Olympics World Games in Berlin was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The memories and friendships I have made during the past few days will always hold a special place in my heart,” Melissa says. Also for Anna it’s about pursueing the common goal of creating a more inclusive world. “It’s an honor for me to make a small contribution to an inclusive society by being part of this extraordinary event that supports athletes’ from around the world to find their place in life,” Anna elaborates.

1 pm: Keeping it rolling!

 Natalia informs the teams of who will be the next to roll the boccia ball – all by waving flags. 

Natalia Pardo, Corporate Communications Manager Chile and Argentina, came all the way from Chile to volunteer at the Special Olympics in Berlin. At 1 pm, she is the one to keep things in order at the boccia court: As the Flag Master she informs the teams of who will be next to roll the boccia ball – all by waving flags. If she wasn’t at the Special Olympics, Natalia would be working on internal and external communication projects. Participating in the event is for Natalia an eye-opening experience: “For the first time I saw disability not with eyes of compassion, but with love.” Hours of training sessions to become a volunteer at the Special Olympics finally paid off.

2 pm: Being there for the athletes!

Katrin helps the athletes to prepare for their upcoming competitions.

At 2 pm, Henkel Lab Technician Katrin Nisters is in charge of athlete coordination. She helps the athletes to prepare for their upcoming competitions. Whatever they need, she is there to help – whether this means to say a few calming words, giving directions, or provide water and food. Katrin is the athletes’ point of contact. A nice change from wearing a lab coat at Henkel and working on chemical formulations!

3 pm: Saying goodbye!

Tobias is responsible for dismantling the court at the end of Special Olympics World Games.

Tobias Segler, Laboratory Specialist for Smart Devices and Internet of Things ‏(IoT) at Consumer Brands, is also part of the global Henkel volunteer team. On the last day of the Special Olympics, he was helping to dismantle the courts – the matches are now over. At work, this would be the time for him to steer quality management tasks and oversee test processes of IoT devices – like checking the dosage accuracy for Somat Smart Refill.

During his last tasks at the Special Olympics World Games, Tobias reflects on the past days. “It’s been a beautiful experience to be a part of the largest inclusive sporting event in the world – together with so many Henkel colleagues – and work closely with the athletes. Their dedication and commitment is moving and supporting them in achieving their dreams feels very fulfilling,” explains Tobias. Being at the World Games in Berlin is his third time of volunteering at a Special Olympics event – and most likely won’t be his last.

Corporate volunteering: Employee engagement for the good of generations

From building homes for people in need to providing underprivileged children with a place to learn to now tearing down walls at the Special Olympics: Social commitment has always been and will always be close to our hearts at Henkel. It’s deeply reflected in our purpose of being “Pioneers at heart for the good of generations”. We strive to shape a purposeful future – not only through our products and innovations but also through our employees’ voluntary engagement. 25 years ago, Henkel launched its “Make an impact tomorrow” initiative to support employees and pensioners in their social engagement activities. Since then, Henkel volunteers have joined forces in more than 17,300 projects in 100 countries to improve people’s lives.