Jens Spahn supports Germany's largest aid network #CoronaCare
by Johanna Schallehn
BurdaForward and FOCUS Online, the digital portal with the highest reach nationwide (AGOF data), have established #CoronaCare, the largest aid network in Germany. Now Health Minister Jens Spahn is also actively supporting the campaign. In his first statement, he thanks the thousands of helpers.
With the #CoronaCare campaign, those who want to help are linked with those who need help. This is achieved online or in the traditional way with a note on the front door. My sincere thanks go out to all those who help and thus help us to be more united in this time.“
Under the umbrella of #CoronaCare, tens of thousands of helpers showed their solidarity over the past two weeks. Other media portals such as T-Online, Watson and nebenan.de, many politicians, and celebrities like Heiner Lauterbach and Peter Maffay have joined the large-scale initiative of the Burda subsidiary.
How Germany's largest news portal mobilizes the nation
During the coronavirus pandemic, everyday tasks have become an enormous challenge for vulnerable groups such as senior citizens and people with pre-existing conditions. With the #CoronaCare campaign, BurdaForward brands such as FOCUS Online, CHIP, NetMoms and Finanzen100 are calling for solidarity. The campaign connects people who want to help with those who are dependent on support.
To this end, FOCUS Online, Germany's largest news platform with almost 34 million monthly users[1] has created a nationwide solidarity network of aid organizations and volunteering centers including Caritas, Johanniter, the German Red Cross, AWO and the Samariter Bund. An interactive map of Germany shows where people can find help in their immediate surroundings.
BurdaForward CEO Oliver Eckert says: "This relief action gives hope! With CoronaCare, we have launched what is currently the largest aid campaign in Germany. Driven by FOCUS Online, we are making it bigger and bigger using our complete BurdaForward platform. In addition to our own portals such as Chip, Finanzen100 and NetMoms, many partners have already joined our publisher network. In this way we are living the BurdaForward idea of "good news" more strongly than ever before: every day we help millions of people in Germany to get through this crisis better".
From live-workout, shopping aids to reading lessons
The Burda subsidiary is cooperating for the campaign with nebenan.de, Germany's largest social network for neighbours. Here, everyone can offer their help and get in touch directly with people in the neighbourhood seeking help. The #CoronaCare Facebook Group networks more than 12,000 people who post offers and requests for help. Every day the number of members increases by about 1,000 people who want to show solidarity. Anyone who would like to distribute notes in the neighborhood or in the residential building to offer support or ask for help can find forms on FOCUS Online for easy downloading. Those seeking help can receive personal advice at the e-mail address deutschland-hilft-sich@focus.de.
Florian Festl, chief-editor at FOCUS Online, says: "The response to #CoronaCare has been overwhelming, and we find the work for this project very fulfilling. It is a movement! While people are physically separated by the lockdown, they grow closer through virtual offerings. At best, digital communication like #CoronaCare leads to real help."
In this difficult time, people can find support beyond shopping aides. With daily, free live workouts, fitness coach Detlef D! Soost is making a strong impact for the campaign. Additionally, video book readings dispel boredom - and those who are lonely can find someone to talk with. Every day, the FOCUS Online editorial team searches for stories that give courage in this frightening situation - from small, brilliant ideas to people with a big heart.
Thousands of helpers, organizations and celebrities are involved
The media company's campaign is supported by countless volunteers, but also by brands in the German media landscape and many celebrities, including politicians, actors, media types and musicians. Among them are North Rhine-Westphalia's Minister of Health Karl-Josef Laumann (CDU), top model Franziska Knuppe, musician Peter Maffay and actors Michaela May and Heiner Lauterbach. The news portals T-Online and Watson have also joined #CoronaCare. In addition, BurdaForward cooperates with the doctors’ evaluation platform jameda and the "Zukunftspakt Apotheke" (Pharmacy Future Pact), an initiative launched together with the Noweda Pharmacists' Cooperative to support local pharmacies in coping with the diverse challenges of the digital transformation.
The phenomenal development of FOCUS Online's traffic and reach demonstrates that the need for relevant and, above all, helpful information for everyday life is greater than ever. In March, FOCUS Online (Germany's largest news portal) achieved the highest figures in the history of the news site with well over 300 million visits[2] and almost 34 million unique users[1]. This makes FOCUS Online the largest digital offering in Germany, as evaluated by AGOF. Hundreds of thousands read the helper stories of the #CoronaCare special every day. Thousands of volunteers offer their support. In the few days since the new #CoronaCare section tab was first published on FOCUS Online, more than three million visits have already been recorded.
Johanna Schallehn
BurdaForward Communications
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The fitness and motivation coach Detlef D. Soost supports the #CoronaCare campaign launched by FOCUS Online and BurdaForward. The initiative bundles relief measures and self-help initiatives throughout Germany in the coronavirus crisis. With immediate effect, Soost and his wife Kate Hall are offering daily, free of charge video workouts on FOCUS Online.
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