Voluntary work: Knorr-Bremse supports employees through the "Get Involved" initiative.

Volunteering in China: “Children’s Safety Garden” training program

50,000 children in China are killed each year in road accidents, house fires and drowning accidents. Another 200,000 are kidnapped, reported by media. This prompted Knorr-Bremse employees in Shanghai, Dalian, Chongqing and Shiyan to design a special training course for children to learn how to stay safe in potentially dangerous situations. Once or twice a year, training sessions are held at each site under the name "Children's Safety Garden", with dangerous scenarios of this kind being simulated in role plays. Under professional guidance, the children practice actions that may save their lives in such situations. "With its products, Knorr-Bremse ensures greater safety in rail and road transport," explains Joyce Liu, who is responsible for marketing and corporate communications in Shanghai. "So it was only natural to focus on the issue of safety in our voluntary work as well." To ensure that as many volunteers as possible are involved in Knorr-Bremse Local Care and Global Care projects on a permanent basis, a dedicated working group was set up in 2016, which currently has 30 members. It is known as the KBlove Volunteers Alliance Community. To date, Knorr-Bremse has provided EUR 6,500 for its voluntary work on the Children's Safety Garden.

Volunteering in the USA: first aid and training for Citizen Ambulance Service

Paula Novak has been working for Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems, a Knorr-Bremse subsidiary in Elyria, Ohio, for 25 years. She also contributes her expertise in management systems and business processes, along with her organizational talent, in her spare time – volunteering for her church, an orchestra, and for Citizens Ambulance Service. Citizens Ambulance – which provides emergency response services to the local village and four townships – delivers immediate medical care in emergencies and offers first aid training to the community. This is particularly essential, because the more people who can competently provide first aid in an emergency until a doctor or paramedic arrives, the greater the patient's chances of survival. Initially as a member of the Board of Directors and since 2017 as its President, Paula Novak is jointly responsible for the management, strategic planning, public relations, and financial oversight of the non-profit organization. For her personally, volunteering in this way is about actively supporting an important and meaningful institution and giving something back to the community. Knorr-Bremse's generosity also plays a part: the Bendix Local Care funding support enabled the Citizens Ambulance Service to purchase new equipment for its ambulance, training dummies for first responders, reflective vests, warm winter parkas and a new generator.

Volunteering in Austria: time out at the Eschenau children's farm

People living in homeless shelters or homes usually have no money for day trips or holidays. But especially for children living there, taking a break from the stresses of everyday life can be a great relief. The team at the Eschenau children's farm makes this possible. Here the children experience unspoiled nature and lots of animals in a relaxed social setting – under the professional supervision of social education workers. The minors from homeless shelters and children's homes in Lower Austria and Vienna get together in Eschenau to enjoy themselves and leave any worries behind. In 2018 a new area was added for the children to play football on; since then this play area has been expanded. Knorr-Bremse subsidized the costs of these upgrades with two donations of EUR 3,000. Sabina Belisarii from the company's Austrian site in Mödling, where brakes for rail vehicles are developed and manufactured, volunteered to organize the contractors and even pitched in with the planning and building work. She also visits the children's farm once or twice a month to discuss new projects and donate items such as clothing, shoes and games, as well as to see the children. "I enjoy coming because the farm is so colorful and the director Dagmar Gratz is bursting with joy and ideas," she explains. "There should be a lot more farms like this."

Volunteering in Hungary: "Code your robot" program

Whether smartphone, tablet or computer – digital devices are regular household items to Generation Z. Children born since the turn of the millennium grow up with them as part of their daily lives. So it's no surprise that pupils at Bókay-Árpád elementary school in Budapest quickly get to grips with the "Code your robot" program. It was developed by György Tarnai, team leader at Knorr-Bremse for electronic systems development, in his spare time. At the end of 2018, the company provided EUR 3,800 toward the purchase of eight laptops and eight mBot robots. After completing a series of virtual exercises, the 9- to 14-year-old schoolchildren are allowed to program the robots themselves – and there's no stopping them! Besides being plenty of fun, trying out the "Code your robot" program has a useful side effect: the young participants get a playful introduction to computer science that might just inspire them to take up an apprenticeship in engineering or technology later on. "Our goal is for tomorrow's 'digital natives' to learn about the opportunities of modern robotics in industrial applications from an early age," explains György Tarnai. Following the successful trial run at Bókay-Árpád elementary, his promising program will be extended to five more schools in Budapest from fall 2019.

Volunteer work in Germany: handball training for children and teenagers

Stefan Kwaß cannot imagine a life without handball. Aside from being great fun, the sport has led to many friendships, ever since his early childhood. Although a cruciate ligament injury ended his career as a player, he has been active as a coach at TS Jahn sports club in Munich for seven years. Twice a week, he spends two hours training boys aged 10 to 18 for the weekend's league games. He also takes them to a summer camp for several days during the school holidays – all on a voluntary basis. Stefan Kwaß usually spends one week a month in various countries around the world as part of his internal auditing responsibilities at Knorr-Bremse. Nevertheless, he devotes a large part of his free time to handball training: "For me, my voluntary work as a handball coach is not a burden, but an opportunity to help young people develop and to teach them about teamwork through sport," explains the father of two sons. Knorr-Bremse has twice provided EUR 3,000 to support the holiday training camps – in 2016 and 2018. Some participants were only able to join the trip thanks to this financial assistance. For Stefan Kwaß it represented support and recognition of his commitment, plus a reason to be proud of his employer for promoting volunteer work. He now counts on the company's support and has begun spreading the word to colleagues. "As part of our audits, we ask how social engagement is encouraged at that location. If they are not aware of 'Get involved', we draw attention to this fantastic global initiative at Knorr-Bremse."

Social commitment at Knorr-Bremse:

Knorr-Bremse Global Care e. V.

Following the tsunami disaster in Southeast Asia in 2004, employees founded Knorr-Bremse Global Care e. V. , a non-profit organization. The aim was to provide rapid and effective assistance to the victims of the tsunami. Since then, the association's activities have been continued and expanded worldwide. Its primary objectives are improving the lives of people in need and supporting their independence. In 2018 alone, 54 projects in 22 countries were funded to the tune of over EUR 1.6 million; the aid measures reached around 21,000 people. More than half of the projects funded to date have been carried out with the assistance of Knorr-Bremse locations. The support focuses on two key themes:

• WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene)
• Education

Local Care

Local Care is the second pillar of Knorr-Bremse's social commitment at its locations worldwide. It provides assistance through the following tools:

• The "Get Involved" initiative, which makes donations to support employees' own voluntary engagement in charitable projects in their free time
• Voluntary donations of money and time for charitable purposes as well as projects in the areas of education, health, environment and social cohesion
• Corporate volunteering programs, enabling employees to support charitable organizations during their work hours
• "Matched giving" programs, in which Knorr-Bremse supplements employee donations