Teaching objective: Charity

It's not at all unusual for a religious education teacher to teach charity as a subject matter.

But it gets really exciting when this love of neighbour turns into teaching material. As is the case with Heinz-Theo Krönker.

He is a teacher at the Heinrich von Kleist School in Eschborn, Frankfurt. And has been supporting homeless and poor people for three decades: By teaching charity. In theory and in practice, he inspires his pupils to help people in need. Their parents, friends and grandparents. And he also inspires his colleagues with his creativity in doing good.

Heinz-Theo Krönker got to know Brother Wendelin (†2010) himself. With the founder of the Franziskustreff as a real-life example, Heinz-Theo Krönker no longer wanted to explain charity with words alone.

So he brings this real life into the classroom. He visits the Franziskustreff with the pupils. Where many homeless and poor people have been having breakfast in peace for over 30 years. Where they are welcome. And are accepted for who they are.

For 30 years, the schoolchildren have been baking cakes for the now traditional Advent celebration. The pupils and their teacher always bring the delicious baked goods to the Franziskustreff themselves and thus to the homeless and poor guests.

And many a schoolchild in recent years has also returned to the Franziskustreff for an internship or a voluntary social year.

Now the time has come for Theo Krönker to take his well-deserved retirement. He is handing over the cake baking programme to his successors. But he will remain loyal to the Treff as a volunteer at breakfast.

And the guests and the team at the Franziskustreff say: Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for 30 years of commitment to helping homeless and poor people!