Markus Dinkelacker is an educator at Stuttgarter Jugendhaus gGmbH, a board member of the Jugendfarm Riedenberg e.V., and a member of the Ostfildern City Council since 2022. The now 47-year-old has been a STELP partner since 2021.
Interview
STELP: When was your first point of contact with STELP?
Markus Dinkelacker: STELP didn’t even exist then ;-). In 2015, an acquaintance of mine, Luca Krieglstein, and friends took a trip with a mobile kitchen to the Macedonian border to provide food for refugees directly on site. He collected donations for this via Facebook. This was the first time I really became aware of the intolerable conditions on the refugee routes.
Soon Luca joined the association “Balkan Route” and from then on I followed the events of the “predecessor” association of STELP. Every now and then I donated something and then later joined STELP as a member as well.
After my wife became a STELP partner, I also decided in November 2021 to support STELP as a long-term partner.
STELP: What was your most defining STELP moment?
Markus Dinkelacker: The 2020 aid mission in Beirut, where Serkan witnessed the explosion in the port and suddenly had to provide disaster relief. This makes you realize how quickly and unpredictably something can happen. And that Serkan is a tireless helper to the point of exhaustion. That was deeply moving and extreme respect is owed to the entire team.
STELP: Where does your motivation to support STELP come from?
Markus Dinkelacker: I realize that I am very fortunate to have been born in a country where I have access to education, where I can find work at any time, where I always have something to eat and drink, and above all, where I can live in peace. Thus, it is natural for me to make a contribution to help people who were not lucky enough to win the birth lottery.
As an employed educator I don’t earn the world, but still enough to be able to give something away.
And since STELP works super transparent and I can see where and how the donations are used, I wanted to support exactly this association. As a partner, I contribute to cover the administrative and organizational costs, and so 100% of the donations can go to direct aid.
STELP: What distinguishes STELP for you?
Markus Dinkelacker:
-honesty,
– fast response (two days after the Russian attack in Ukraine you were practically on the scene with relief supplies)
– creativity (various events; concert Grabkapelle, cooking studio, Wasen, etc.)
– dynamic
– authentic!
Have we sparked your interest in our partner program? More info and the registration form can be found here.
