Christmas Letter 2024
The Danube Swabian Foundation of the U.S.A., Inc.
Die Donauschwaebische Stiftung der USA, Inc.
We reflect on our past and our heritage which we so dearly treasure.
We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!
Raymond Martini, Chairman Ed Tullius, President Monika Lorenz, Vice-President Joseph Brandecker, Treasurer Elisabeth Burmeister, Secretary
Landesverband der Donauschwaben USA, Inc
Liebe Landsleute! It is my honor to be writing to you for the first time as the CEO of the Danube Swabian Foundation. What a privilege to be able to serve you all in this capacity! I am very proud of the work done by our foundation in the last year and the work that is on the docket to be completed in the coming year. Last year, not only did we give thousands of dollars to our clubs to help fund language schools, brass bands, soccer teams, and dance groups, but we were able to help, not one, but two groups go to Europe. I know many of you have seen pictures online of the Cleveland Jugendgruppe and the Akron Jugendgruppe’s trips abroad, and it looked like a life- changing event for our young people. It is trips like these, funded by your donations, that will ensure a strong future for our Donauschwaben heritage and culture. In the coming year, in addition to our regular financial assistance of our American member clubs, we will be sending the Chicago Donauschwaben Jugendgruppe to represent us on a Europe tour, which is partially funded by our Foundation, and assisting with the costs of hosting the Jugendlager in Akron. Excitingly, we will also be sending members of our American Vereine to the fifth Welttreffen, to take place in both Hungary and Serbia. These trips are open to all members of U.S. clubs, not just members of dance groups, which is especially poignant for members of some of our smaller organizations or who joined our organizations later in life who have not had the opportunity to go on an Europareise with a Jugendgruppe. The Welttreffen combines dancing, singing, history, and tradition into a two-week tour, and the Stiftung has intends to give stipends to participants of the Welttreffen next year as it has done in the past. These are just a few ways that your donation to the Stiftung ensures that the Donauschwaben traditions are kept alive in the United States. I implore you to consider a donation to the Foundation this holiday season so that we can continue this great work. We are at a time of transition in all of our clubs, and the way that we ensure we come out on the other side strong is by working together! Frohe Weihnachten, and thank you for your support!
Mit herzlichen Weihnachtsgrüsse, Raymond Martini CEO, Danube Swabian Foundation President, Landesverband der Donauschwaben USA
Two Notes from the President
First note: Thanks After 17 yrs., the secretary of the Foundation will return to her husband. Rosi Burmeister has been deeply devoted to the management and success of the Danube Swabian Foundation. Her husband Cliff has been patiently waiting for her return. She has stood with this President from the beginning of our multiple re-elections (8 terms). She has served with, educated, shared opinions and put up with transitions of two CEOs, three Vice Presidents, 4 Treasurers and handful of in-coming/out-going Directors within the Foundation. She has assisted in drafting procedures and by-law updates. Rosi has worked very hard with determination and conviction toward the Foundation’s purpose. She has had a good eye in protecting the Foundation’s assets, at the same time engaged in assigning stipends to fantastic Donauschwaben cultural activities. I have not seen her sit still in her position and has made the rest of us serving in our positions look pretty damm good. Saying thank you will never be enough in your service to the Foundation. Having you as a friend is priceless. THANK YOU ROSI
Second note: Have You Seen an ECHTE SCHWOB Sit Still? In my lifetime, I have not seen an echte (real) Schwob sit still. They pride themselves with hard work, well behaved families, manicured gardens, excellent food/baked recipes and strong faith. When there is a moment to rest, they become great hosts, entertaining and serving others. They make sure everyone and everything is taken care of. It was so with my UrgroBeltern (great grandparents), GroBeltern (grandparents) and Eltern(parents). I suspect that has rubbed off on the next generation/our generation. We devote ourselves to our families, friends and Clubs. If you catch yourself sitting down, grab a pen and check, and fill out a donation to your favorite charity. The Foundation does not sit still. It is working hard to extend the existence of our Donauschwaben culture. Please, don’t just sit there, prove yourself to be an ECHTE SCHWOB!
Frohe Weihnachten und ein gutes neues Jahr from the Foundation President Ed Tullius, Officers and Directors
AKRON EUROPA REISE 2024: In the month of July, the German Family Society Youth Group took a 19 day trip to Germany, Austria, and France. The group traveled with 18 kids, 4 chaperones, and 2 amazing bus drivers. Throughout the trip the group danced four times in different clubs and festivals giving their all to provide an intense and impressive performance for their hosts. The four locations that the group danced in were Mosbach Donauschwaben Club, Albstadt Donauschwaben Club, Munich Donauschwaben Club, and Wanfried Schützenfest. In both Mosbach and Albstadt, the group performed a full performance with three different dance sets built into the performance. In those sets, four of the Youth Group members recited an all German poem to express the love and appreciation of the Donauschwaben and German heritage. The longest “performance” that the group had was an hour-long parade in the city of Wanfried. The parade was on Sunday the 14th and the group got to march throughout the entire city with other groups and bands from the city. The Youth Group members all had praises about how enjoyable it was to dance in Germany, and how much of a dream come true it truly was. Outside of the dancing part, the group toured 22 cities in a total of 18 days. Some of the main cities and attractions consisted of Mosbach, Strasbourg, Feldberg, Albstadt, Munich, Salzburg, and Wanfried. In each of those cities, the group had a very laid out and planned day due to the months of preparation by the group’s chaperones. During the trip, the kids were able to see amazing views and explore the city on their own in smaller groups, really getting the opportunity to dive into the culture of the country. Some of the favorite activities were planned day to day due to inclement weather, one of which was the Hasenhorn Mountain coaster located in Feldberg. Another great experience for the group was meeting the Mayor of Albstadt. The group was invited into City Hall for an interview and a taste test of the city’s famous homemade pretzels. One of the favorite cities of the trip was Salzburg. As expressed by many of the group members, Salzburg had so much beauty when just looking at the city driving in, but exploring at night revealed all the hidden spots and gorgeous views. The group overall had an amazing time in their tour and each one said that they would love to do the tour again with the group if they were given the chance to. One of the main cultural points of the trip was visiting Ulm, Germany. The group departed from Munich early in the morning to meet with members of the Munich Donauschwaben Club in Ulm to tour the city and go to The Haus der Donauschwaben. The Youth Group members all had great opportunities to connect with the heritage around them and learn more about where their families came from. Some Youth Group members even located their family names in the books that the museum had from the families moving around. Each member made some sort of connection with the museum whether it meant finding a tracht similar to a family member’s back at home, seeing the stitchwork on the tablecloths, or even just connecting with hearing the overall journey and relating back to stories told at Akron GFS. Visiting the Haus der Donauschwaben was the most rewarding cultural experience for the group over all. The youth group all agreed that they could have spent an entire day in the museum if given the opportunity to research more into their heritage and take a deep dive into what their ancestors went through to provide for them.
Abby Leipold Akron German Family Society Jugendgruppe Secretary
CLEVELAND EUROPA REISE 2024: The Jugendgruppe from the Donauschwaben German American Cultural Center in Cleveland, Ohio, traveled to Europe during the Summer of 2024. The group departed on June 27 and returned on July 15. Over the18-day adventure, the participants experienced many memorable moments, learned more about their culture and heritage, and made many new friends across Germany and Hungary. The group performed seven times, and it was a life-changing experience for our Jugend! We started by visiting Crailsheim and stayed at a Jugendherberge in Dinkelsbül. We spent time with our Crailsheim hosts, who ensured we were well-fed and never thirsty! We performed in Crailsheim’s town square, toured the city, and toured Dinkelsbühl, and Rothenburg ob der Tauber, they planned many fun activities for our group. We then ventured to Ulm, where we toured the city and saw the “Denkmal” along the Danube including the Donauschwaben USA plaque placed there several years ago. We visited the Münster where most of the group ascended the steeple to be rewarded with a spectacular city view. By evening, we arrived in Munich for the next three nights. We spent the first full day in the München Stadtmitte and met up with members of the Banater Schwaben at the famous Augustiner Biergarten in the evening to watch a World Cup game. We presented our second performance at the Haus der Donauschwaben in München the next day for the Banater Schwaben As the next day arrived, we departed for an eight-hour bus ride to Hungary. Once there, we started with a visit to the beautiful city of Taksony which has hosted us on previous trips and is just a most gracious and welcoming place to visit. We were greeted with a fabulous dinner and met our host families. After dinner, the group enjoyed an evening at a local venue with live music, refreshments, and the opportunity to make new friends with the Jugendgruppe in Taksony. They had many fun activities planned for us the next day for our Jugend, including rowing on the Danube, riding in Trabants, a museum visit, and swimming at a local park. The evening included a performance in Taksony followed by a dinner for all our members and the host families. The next day we toured Budapest and finished the day with a trip to the famous Budapest thermal baths, a welcome few hours of relaxation to break up our busy trip. We then traveled to Szár, where many of our members already have friends. We visited Szár in 2011, and they visited us in 2011 and 2019. After meeting our host families and having dinner, we had a performance at their cultural house and an evening with a Blaskapelle that ended at the local bar. Over the next two days, we made day trips to Pusztavám and Biatorbágy, where we met other Jugend, toured the cities, and, their church, and learned new dances including a Csárdás. Our last night in Hungary was a beautiful one, with a performance festival that included our group, the Füzes Tanzgruppe from Biatorbágy, and a dance group from Németkér. We were all sad to leave our new friends. We spent one night in Salzburg, where we explored the city, had a great meal, and met up with our friends from the Akron Familien Verein, who were also on a Europa Reise. The next day we toured the famous salt mines and then proceeded back to Ulm for one night where we spent the day buying dirndls (of course) and attending Donaufest. This fest hosted international vendors and was a welcome break from our busy schedule. With two performances left on the schedule, we traveled to Sindelfingen to perform at the Haus der Donauschwaben. There we met Stefan Ihas, Ehrenpraesident of the Weltdachverband, Sandra Peric, Jugendstellvertreterin of the Weltdachverband, and Raimund Haser, the Vorsitzender who is also a member of the Landtag of Baden-Württemberg. We spent time at the Vertreibung memorial and in the library where Jugend discovered more about their family histories and our Donauschwaben history. It was extremely emotional for all of us and helped our Jugend better understand the history of the Donauschwaben. We had the opportunity to present our full program to a large audience. After Sindelfingen, we continued to Spaichingen, where we met with our host families and enjoyed a meal. The next day we saw the Donauquelle, the source of the Donau River, and toured the Schwarzwald with a visit to the beautiful city of Triberg. Our final performance was at a festival in Spaichingen Center. We performed our sets and packed up all our equipment and costumes for the last time. It was an emotional moment for our Jugend as it signaled our incredible trip would end soon. We spent the evening with our hosts, sharing dances between our groups. –Then came our last day. Our Spaichingen friends hosted a cookout and took our Jugend to a local pool for some fun and free time. We watched the World Cup finals with our host families and settled in for an early night since our travel day started at 3 AM! We were allso sad to be leaving and will have to be content with all the wonderful memories of this incredible trip. On behalf of the Donauschwaben Cleveland Jugendgruppe, we want to thank the Landesverband der Donauschwaben, USA for making this opportunity available to us, to the Weltdachverband for allowing us to travel, to all the groups from the cities who hosted us, to Sandra Peric for organizing the travel, and to the Donauschwäbische Stiftung for the financial support for this endeavor. For our Jugend, it was the trip of a lifetime!
Review of Events 2023
Oma Abt Award
In 2013, the Oma Abt youth heritage award was created in memory of Maria Abt. Each year the youth are given a prompt for their entry. This year’s prompt was: “Where do you see the Donauschwaben community in 10 years (locally, nationally, internationally) and where do you see yourself within the Donauschwaben community (i.e. leadership roles)?”
The winners:
1st Prize – Karina Palffy (Chicago American Aid Society) 2nd Prize – Katrina Giannoni (Chicago Donauschwaben) 3rd Prize – Eva Groeschl (Milwaukee Donauschwaben)
KULTURPREIS
Congratulations to this year’s recipients:
Mike Wendl – Saint Louis – Ehren President of the Stiftung Rose Hauer – Chicago Donau – Landesverband Secretary
2024 National Donauschwaben Soccer Tournament
MANSFIELD, OH, USA – The humorous t-shirts available for purchase may have said 49 1/2, but there was nothing done to half measures at this year’s National Donauschwaben Soccer Tournament! Mansfield Liederkranz Social and Soccer Club was the host for this edition of the tournament which featured of course the original Major Division, the Over-35, formerly the “Alte Herren” and a small but very talented Women’s Division. Participating Clubs included: Akron GFS (M, W, O35), Chicago Green White (M), Cleveland Concordia (M, W), Detroit Carpathia (M, O35), Mansfield Liederkranz (Mx2, W, O35).
On Friday, May 24th a few of the traveling clubs, teams, and fans descended on 1212 Silver Lane to get the first glimpses of the fields, see old friends, share a meal and maybe a beverage or two. The fields and grounds looked trimmed, clean and ready for soccer.
The first match of the weekend began on Saturday, May 25, at 10:00 am, and from there soccer in the three divisions went rolling throughout the whole first day. Saturday evening featured a Schnitzel dinner as well as some brief speeches from the hosts, and the Ehren Sportleiter, Mike Talan. Mike held the Sportleiter role since 1998 and was unanimously given the Honorary Title at the April Meetings.
Sunday was an early start, with the Managers Meeting beginning at 9:00 am and the first Over-35 match beginning promptly at 10. Though at our National Annual Meeting in April, Werner Fricker III, was elected as the successor to Talan, the two directors took the opportunity to officially hand over the reins at the Sunday morning meeting at this year’s tournament. Mike Talan literally gave his seat and chair to Fricker III at the opening of the meeting.
The other big news out of the Manager’s meeting came when the Committee decided to create a Wanderpokal for the Over-35 Division named after legend Erik Haller of Cleveland. Born in Yugoslavia, Haller has been involved in soccer since 1952 when he began playing in Stuttgart. In the USA, he joined the Donauschwaben reserve team in Cleveland at the age of 15. At 16 he moved up to the Major Division and continued to play for over 25 years. He has been a player, referee, coach, administrator and continues to be involved in the game today.
Weather threatened the final two matches of the weekend but the administrators, the hosts and the teams were able to get the games in without a hitch. The Champions were:
The Champions were:
- Women’s Open Division: Akron GFS Eagles
- Over-35 and winners of the first Erik Haller Cup: Cleveland Concordia
- National Champions and winners of the Mike Talan Wanderpokal: Cleveland Concordia!
Landessportleiter, Werner Fricker III, had assistance from Mike Talan and Erik Haller in the presentation of the respective trophies. We look forward to seeing everyone for the 50th Anniversary of this great nationally recognized tournament.
Back where it all began in Akron, Ohio.
