A Special Occasion
Professor Franzke and I set out unusually early in the morning from Bertolt-Brecht-Allee in Dresden-Striesen. Our destination, already displayed on the GPS, is also unusual. We’re driving to Bonnewitz to the Special Education School. On the way, as the streets become narrower and more winding, we both realize that we don’t really know our way around this area, which, by the way, is beautiful. At the end of the village street in Bonnewitz, we see the first children, a villa, and numerous small vehicles and shuttle services parked in the driveway leading up to the villa, bringing children along. It’s bustling like a beehive. We see many adults—caregivers—waiting for “their” children and teenagers. This is a place for special children, and a special occasion has brought us here today—a donation handover. We ask around for the principal. “You’ll find him back there in the second construction trailer,” a caregiver shows us the way. Just then, Mr. Böttcher-Farago comes toward us wearing a baseball cap and a parka, and once again, our preconceived notions are thrown out the window. “I always wished for a principal like this back in the day,” I think to myself as we grab a cappuccino in the school cafeteria and, surprisingly, spend the remaining ten minutes before the morning circle starts chatting with a former ILK Dresden employee.
Morning Circle
Where the school buses were just bustling about on the large lawn in front of the villa, calm now settles in. Relatively quickly, yet in a relaxed manner, a circle of about a hundred children and adults forms. A young man stands in the center. He strikes up a morning song with his guitar. Shortly afterward, Mr. Böttcher-Farago congratulates all the birthday children in the group. He approaches his charges personally, presenting them with a candle and a handmade birthday card. The children are beaming. Although the temperature at 8:30 in the morning on the edge of Saxon Switzerland is barely above freezing, we feel an indescribable warmth and cordiality. With my cell phone camera, I feel a bit like an outsider. Professor Franzke quickly captures the special atmosphere and immediately directs his brief speech to the children. May they always remain curious—as curious as the people who work at our institute. Perhaps it has become clear to both of us in this brief half-hour here on site that our donation of 1,500 euros is simply an abstract number and a “drop in the bucket.” What is far more valuable to us is this moment in this place and our gratitude to all the helping hands—both here and to the donors at ILK Dresden.
After we finish singing our last spring song together, a little boy approaches Professor Franzke and spontaneously hands him a bird feather. He says he heard that we’re doing something with “AIR,” and he thought a feather would be a good fit. We decide that this feather will have a special place at our institute—as a good-luck charm. Perhaps you’ll notice it on our reception desk during your next visit to our institute?
The Special Education School and the Bonnewitz Residential Home (Excerpt from the chronicle)
“A school and a residential home for special children—that’s what we want to make possible in Bonnewitz. We meet every child where they are. We do not judge. In the classes and groups, children and adolescents with a wide variety of disabilities are taught and cared for. We want to be trailblazers for the children whom we are privileged to accompany for a part of their lives. A life that, while often facing obstacles, has its place in our society and makes its contribution, just like everyone else.” – says Matthias Bünger, Managing Director.
The Special Education School was founded in 1991. It is attended by 240 students. Learn more: https://www.heilpaedagogik-bonnewitz.de/startseite.html
The Fundraiser
The ILK Dresden team holds an annual fundraiser by creating a calendar featuring stunning photos taken by staff members and selling it in a limited edition. The proceeds from calendar sales go toward a social project.
