The campaign launches nationwide on Thursday, 23 May at 5:07 pm and ends 72 hours later, on Sunday, 26 May at 5:07 pm. Under the slogan, "Sent from Heaven", 680 young people from the Kaufbeuren and Ostallgäu region are taking part in 28 different social and ecological projects, including building a playground in Marktoberdorf and organising an afternoon for the elderly at the Forggensee, a lake near Neuschwanstein castle. In Kaufbeuren, young people from Eritrea ran an event to engage in a cultural exchange with the German community, while another group built insect hotels and yet another planted rows of flowers for the bees. Volunteers across Germany took part in the 72-hour campaign, from a wide range of denominations and other organisations, such as the Red Cross and Young Firefighters.
"It's great to see how many young people have registered with us. In 2013 we had 225 participants across 12 groups, and this year we already had 600 people sign up by February", says a delighted Christian Lieb, Catholic Youth Officer for Kaufbeuren, who is co-organising the drive. Everyone who takes part will get a bright green T-shirt, sponsored by Fendt and the Rotary Club Marktoberdorf. "The 72-hour campaign is a fantastic project, because we have hundreds of young people getting involved in social and eco projects, sending out a powerful message," says Sepp Nuscheler, Director Public Relations Fendt and Vice President of the Rotary Club Marktoberdorf . He represented Peter-Josef Paffen, Chairman of the AGCO/Fendt Management Board and President of the Marktoberdorf Rotary Club, who unfortunately could not be there in person when the T-shirts were
handed over.