Because every person counts
A deep connection to what one does is essential – because only those who do something with passion can achieve great success. This driving force accompanied Walter Blüchert not only as a publisher, but also as a philanthropist.
Walter Blüchert was firmly convinced that, with trust in the future, confidence in all uncertainty, and Hölderlin's certainty that where danger threatens, at the same time the saving power grows, he wanted to be a helping hand for those who needed one.
— Friedrich HölderlinBut where danger is, there also grows the saving power.
Tradition and life's work
The Karin and Walter Blüchert Memorial Foundation continues this tradition and life's work – with pride in what Walter Blüchert accomplished in his life and gratitude for what he left his family as a legacy. A legacy that enables the Blüchert family to support those who need help most.
Providing direct support to people in need is the guiding principle of the Karin and Walter Blüchert Memorial Foundation – just as Walter F. Blüchert stipulated during his lifetime. For personal happiness and the motivation to do good spring from the happiness of others. Because every person counts.
Hope from shards and rubble
Throughout his life, the publisher and philanthropist Walter Blüchert repeatedly encountered people who, with great dedication and tireless commitment, ensured that hope and new life arose from shards and rubble.
These encounters not only shaped his personal path but also inspired him to give something back to society as a philanthropist. Together with his wife, Karin Blüchert, he has been donating substantial sums to hospitals and nursing homes for many years. Improving the living conditions of the homeless, even beyond the borders of Hamburg, was already a major concern for them.
Later, he founded the non-profit VISELLA Foundation in Liechtenstein, which serves as the parent foundation for other Blüchert non-profit foundations and funds them according to strict guidelines. According to information from the VISELLA Foundation, his daughter Christine Blüchert manages and administers her father's philanthropic legacy. Due to his close personal ties to Hamburg, it was always the founder's wish to establish another foundation in Hamburg, which would also offer direct and immediate assistance to people, but which could also provide support beyond regional boundaries.
Thus, in November 2016, the Karin and Walter Blüchert Memorial Foundation was established, in which Magdalena Blüchert manages the information and will work purposefully to implement and ensure the sustainability of her deceased grandfather's wishes.
The foundation supports individuals who, due to their physical, mental, or financial condition, require assistance. Furthermore, the Karin and Walter Blüchert Memorial Foundation is dedicated to providing financial support to people with cancer and other chronic illnesses.
Among the first Hamburg institutions to receive funding are the phönikks Foundation, the Center for Children and Young People in Mourning eV and, as the first supra-regional institution, the Right Livelihood Award Foundation (the alternative Nobel Prize).
On December 11, 2017, the Karin and Walter Blüchert Memorial Foundation, as the official sponsor of the traditional event "Hamburger of the Year 2017", will present the award in the category "Fairness and Courage" – a matter close to the heart of the Karin and Walter Blüchert Memorial Foundation, as these values also served as a source of drive and motivation for Walter Blüchert in his life and influenced his philanthropic intentions.