Since an accident that was not his fault in 2012, Michael Vogel has been dependent on a wheelchair. The staff at Schunk together with the Ludwig-Schunk foundation has donated over 5,000 to help grant him increased mobility.
The exact circumstances of the accident in 2012 have not been able to be established. But two things are for sure: it was someone elses fault, and ever since then, Michael Vogel has been paralyzed from the chest down. For one year, he was treated at the spine center at the Werner-Wicker clinic in Reinhardshausen, Germany, and prepared for a life in a wheelchair there, he also got his handicapped drivers license. But despite all the care taken, it has become clear that he will no longer be able to return to his former profession as a machine fitter at Schunk in Heuchelheim, Germany. Neither will his handicap allow him to take on a different job within the company he spent over 30 years working for.
To support their former colleague, Schunk employees at the Heuchelheim location began to collect funds. Together with a donation from the works committee and HR department, along with a donation from the Ludwig-Schunk foundation, a total of 5,300 was raised. Uwe Schmidt and Pietro Coladangelo from the Schunk works committee and Dr. Reinhold Wolf from the Ludwig-Schunk foundation have now presented Vogel with the gift.
"With the donation from the Ludwig-Schunk foundation, we would like to support you in your mobility," said Dr. Wolf. The foundations support was the based on the principles of the companys founder Ludwig Schunk, who always looked to help employees in need.
"You suffered a great misfortunate at no fault of your own and have fought with an admirable optimism, and worked hard to regain a high degree of mobility, despite your handicap," added Pietro Coladangelo. "We at Schunk want to help you in this."
"I am touched by the helpfulness of my colleagues and my company," said Vogel, giving thanks for the donation, "and a bit proud, that they have shown me that I still belong."