Bringing People Together Through Voluntary Work

Where fan chants usually dominate, festive songs rang out on the second Advent: around 31,000 visitors came together in the Red Bull Arena as part of the second Leipzig Christmas carol event and sang numerous Christmas classics together - from “Jingle Bells” to “Silent Night”, everything was included. They received professional support from the members of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Choir. 

In addition to the spectacle in the stadium, visitors were also treated to a small Christmas market on the grounds of the Red Bull Arena. Christmas treats such as roasted almonds, gingerbread hearts, crepes, waffles and hot drinks awaited them at the kiosks and gnome huts.

The Leipzig hub was also represented on site with its own event areas as the company maintains partnerships with both organizations: the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra and the Red Bull Team.

These event areas were supervised by DHL employees who volunteered for the day and wanted to get involved as part of a Global Volunteer Day (GVD) campaign - including Syed Mostofa Jahangir and Carmen Cecilia Trejo Hernandez.

“There was a call on the Smart Connect employee app looking for supporters for the event. I signed up straight away because I really wanted to volunteer,” says Cecilia.

Mostofa also found out about the event this way: “When an opportunity like this comes up, you can't miss it. I signed up straight away and was delighted when I received the news that I was taking part.” 

Mostofa is part of the Customs Import Production team and deals with customs issues. Cecilia, on the other hand, works in the Quality Control Center and, together with her colleagues, ensures that all shipments get from A to B. The two only got to know each other through the GVD campaign. “That's the DHL family. We're a very big family, so you don't know everyone, but when you have the opportunity to get to know a new colleague, it's all the better,” says Mostofa.

Together, the two supervised a stand at the Christmas carol event - the so-called “instrument street”, in which the musicians of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra also took part. Children had the opportunity to try out various instruments from the professional musicians' collection. “It was really great to watch the children. They all had so much fun trying out the instruments,” reports Cecilia.

When the Christmas caroling itself started, the volunteers also had the opportunity to watch the spectacle in the stadium. One highlight followed the next during the evening: in addition to singing together, the evening's program also included a dance choreography, a motorcycle performance and a drone show.

“I can hardly put it into words. Today was just incredibly beautiful. At a time when the whole world is restless, it was wonderful to experience this day. The people here are all in a festive mood and walk around with smiles on their faces. When everyone sang together, I got goosebumps several times. It touched me deeply and was really beautiful”, Mostofa sums up the day. 

This day showed that volunteering not only brings people together, but also creates experiences that will live long in the memory. For Cecilia and Mostofa, the Leipzig Christmas Carol was an all-round successful event that they would both support again and again. 

A Christmas event that connects - watch the video and get an impression of the event on https://inmotion.dhl/de/gewandhausorchester/leipzig-christmas-singing