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!!
DANUBE SWABIAN FOUNDATION, USA
Robert Filippi, Chairman Ed Tullius, President Monika Lorenz, Vice-President Joseph Brandecker, Treasurer Rosalia Burmeister, Secretary Rudi Mayer – Chief Auditor
Landesverband der Donauschwaben USA, Inc
Liewi Landsleit!
I’d like to share a fond memory with all of you. As our children were growing up in the club they would attend “Kindergruppe” rehearsals in the basement of our “Kulturzentrum.” Their practice hour was one room removed from our “Kegelbahn.” Naturally, when the kids had a break they wandered over to the Keglers because Opa and his buddies were there. Opa immediately gave them a big hug and never hesitated to reach into his wallet for a dollar bill so that they could get candy and a drink at the club bar from Tante Betty. That tradition didn’t stop with the grandkids! Uhr-opa continued that tradition with the next generation as well. He was so proud that his family was continuing with the traditions of singing, dancing, and speaking German.
The season of giving is approaching as Christmas is only two months away. It’s time to consider a year-end contribution to the Foundation (Stiftung). Why? Because it’s our chance to be like Opa. The Foundation contributes over $30,000 annually to our youth in the form of stipends for youth groups, German schools, brass bands, and soccer. I ask all of you to reach into your wallet and make a contribution to help preserve the culture that we have brought with us to America. When you’re done writing that check call your children and grandchildren and tell them how much it means to you to be a Schwob and to ask for their continued commitment to our clubs.
Merry Christmas! In Donauschwaben Unity,
Robert F. Filippi, Landespraesident
We Support Each Other
We’ve come to the close of another year together. There’s no denying this year was a bit less difficult than the past two years. 2022 still had its challenges for most individual Clubs across the U.S. They worked hard to rebuild/reconnect and gain momentum at their individual Club events. Yet, we all remained steadfast members of the greater Donauschwaben community across the nation. We showed strength and resilience by supporting the national Landesverband and the Weltdachverband. As the Christmas season approaches, we find it’s a good time to call to mind some of the adventures we’ve experienced together this year nationally and on the other side of the globe, despite having everyone work hard to get back on their own two feet.
It was nice to resume an in-person meeting this past April in Akron where we could organize ourselves for future events throughout the Donauschwaben Clubs and set our Foundation’s budget. The annual soccer tournament was held in Cleveland with much fun and friendly rivalry. Two youth groups (Cincinnati and Detroit naming themselves “Cincitroit”) merged together traveling to Germany and Austria as a powerhouse dance group. The east coast Clubs pulled together in Trenton N.J. to host the annual Labor Day gathering. A super time was had by all.
The Foundation continues its support of German schools, sport, bands, travel and dance and raising the stipend granted to our activities in each Club to an all-time high. Donations and investments are closely monitored by each Club’s Directors and the Foundation’s Officers. Every effort is made to keep Donauschwaben traditions alive. The Foundation, with the national Verband, realizes the importance of holding ourselves tightly “festhalten” together. We support each other while supporting the greater Donauschwaben community. Individually, donations are made and when combined a greater outcome is shared. Please consider a donation to the Danube Swabian Foundation.
Collectively we are stronger, we are all Donauschwaben.
Frohe Weihnachten und ein Glückliches Neues Jahr von uns allen in der Donauschwäbischen Stiftung.
Eddie Tullius, President
“Do you Stiftung?”
Cincitroit – Europareise 2022 Report by Debra Tullius
CINCITROIT; what a unique way to combine the names of two cities to show their unity. CINCITROIT; what a powerful way to combine two dance groups into a unified performance group who became friends. A spark was lit in late fall of 2019 that Cincinnati and Detroit would join together to travel together and dance their way through Germany and Austria. Serious long-distance planning was begun and by early January, 2022 the dream became a reality. One Saturday every month the Detroit dancers would travel to Cincinnati for a short night of sleep and a long day of practice.
Starting on January 8th, dances were learned, the show was choreographed, costumes were fitted and prepared, songs were chosen and practiced AND friendships were being formed. On June 26th we had a dress rehearsal and on July 12th we left for Europe.
Our first stop was Mosbach, where we were warmly greeted by Stefan Ihas, Tony Kindtner, and many others. We had a delicious lunch and were given time to unpack and relax. We discovered that our group was the 100th group to stay and perform at the Mosbach Clubhouse. While we were there, we enjoyed a beautiful tour of the city, where we learned of its 1000 year history. We were impressed by the architecture and entertained by the many stories that went along with the statues and monuments. The highlight of the trip was performing for our first time in Germany. We danced on a special stage that was created in front of the clubhouse. Our view as we danced was down the hill and of the houses and valley below. The finale that evening, was a true celebration of our friendship with Mosbach. They lit big sparklers out the club windows and there was a parade of 6 large cakes that were set on a table and served to everyone in the crowd. The thoughtfulness and hospitality of the people in Mosbach made for a very memorable start to our trip. It was very difficult to say good-bye on Friday. When the hugs were finished and everyone was settled on the bus, we took off for Albstadt.
As we pulled in to the clubhouse in Albstadt, we noted the preparations beginning for their Donauschwabenfest. We realized that this was going to be a big deal. Matthias and Silke were waiting for us with huge smiles and open arms. After lunch and a chance to unload, we had an afternoon tour of the beautiful city of Albstadt. The tour included an opportunity to shop, which made everyone happy. A highlight for the group was the Freundschaftabend Friday evening where everyone sat around and sang familiar folk songs. We danced late in to the night. Matthias arranged a tour of Hohenzollern Castle for the morning and we lunched at a Sporthalle that afternoon. The Fest kicked off that evening with a parade and music outside. Sunday was a perfect day, as if God was shining down on the Donauschwaben. There was a church Mass, which was attended by all the participating cities, and a huge parade, including a Blaskapelle, from the church to the Festplatz. The afternoon and evening were filled with performances and food. The entire event made a huge impression on the dancers, a memory that will always stay with them.
That Monday we traveled to Ulm and had a lovely tour of the Donauschwäbisches Zentralmuseum as well as a tour along the Donau River that highlighted the monuments that have been erected to honor the Donauschwaben people and history. It just happened to be Schwormmontag, a huge annual festival, and many of the group took the opportunity to enjoy themselves along the river that afternoon. On Tuesday, we had a guided tour of the city, climbed the stairs in the Munster and went shopping before loading up for Augsburg.
We were the first group ever to visit Augsburg and they were excited to host us. They came running out as the bus pulled in and the togetherness never stopped. Hella Gerber and her committee worked hard to make this a memorable stay. This was our first time to be housed by families and everyone made instant connections with their host families. This club is fairly young, with most of its members having left Romania in the 1990’s. We toured the city on Wednesday, learning that it got its name from Augustus, the Roman Emperor. The town was stunning and again filled with rich history and architectural beauty. The group performed that evening at a banquet hall to a sold out and very enthusiastic crowd. Our dancers gave an outstanding performance that night. On Thursday, we visited with their Seniorengruppe, and we did a spontaneous mini- performance for them. When we left that afternoon, there were people hanging out the clubhouse windows waving good-bye, and we all knew we had made good friends.
We traveled to Munich and arrived late Thursday afternoon. This was the first time we had been in a big city and the difference was eye-opening. Harold Schlapansky and Heidi and Rick Mueller were ready for us. We were ushered in to a Bier/Sport Halle and given a chance to unwind. We were shown where the dressing rooms were and then we completely unloaded the buses. We used public transit for the next several days and that was exciting for everyone. On Friday we walked all over Munich and had an impressive tour of the Rathouse. That evening we danced our hearts out for their club. This was a bittersweet performance as it was the last one of our trip. We were thrilled to be asked to perform several dances with them as well that evening. On Saturday, we had a tour of the Haar Banater Kulturzentrum. This was such a beautiful and informative visit. We had a free afternoon to shop and everyone went with their host families to do different things. That evening, we all enjoyed a party at a boathouse along the Isar River. The food was delicious, the beer was cold and the friendship and families will forever be remembered.
On Sunday, we left early for the clubhouse to load up the bus and head for Austria. There were so many hugs and some great group pictures taken before we left. The next 4 days were ours to relax and do some sight-seeing. We stayed just outside Salzburg and had a chance to enjoy a peaceful boat ride on the Konigsee, tour the city of Salzburg, ride a tram to Untersberg, visit the Schloss Hellbrunn’s trick fountains and spend a day in Hallstatt touring the salt mines. We left Austria on Wednesday and visited the Neuschwanstein Castle on our way to Munich. Dinner that evening was one of the biggest surprises of our entire trip. We ate our final meal in the courtyard of the Erdinger Brewery AND to our surprise, a group of ten friends from the Munich Banater group joined us. It was a very lively final evening.
Thanks to the Foundation, the Landesverband, the Weltdachverband, and the board of directors in Cincinnati and Detroit for providing us the opportunity to live and learn the Donauschwaben culture.
OMA ABT NEWS Christmas 2022 by Katy Abt
In 2013, the Oma Abt Youth Heritage Award was created in memory of my oma, Maria Abt. She was a long time member of the Landesverband and served as the Landesverband Frauenleiteren, the leader of the Milwaukee Jugendgruppe, and also as the leader of the Milwaukee Frauengruppe. One of the things my Oma enjoyed as a member of the Landesverband was seeing all the youth get together and share in our Donauschwaben customs and traditions. This award was created to honor her memory and the memory of all the Donauschwaben who came before us.
Each year the youth groups are given a prompt that asks for an essay or a creative arts display. The entries are judged by members of the Abt family and members of the Stiftung to determine the winners. The winners are announced at each national gathering, usually Labor Day weekend, and receive a monetary award funded by the Stiftung and Abt family.
This year’s prompt was “What is one idea or tradition of the Donauschwaben that you are going to pass down to future generations and why?” This topic was chosen to allow the youth group members to really think about their heritage and look towards the future.
The winners this year were:
Ava Fabian (1st place, Cleveland Donauschwaben),
Elinor Niemi (2nd place, Milwaukee Donauschwaben), and
Karina Thut (3rd place, Chicago Donauschwaben).
My hope when creating this contest was to help our young people become more involved in the Donauschwaben community. I also wanted our youth to dig deep into their Donauschwaben roots and ask questions of our Alte Schwobe. I am honored to continue to coordinate this activity to help keep the Donauschwaben heritage.
Kulturprize News
The Kulturprize winners for 2022 are:
Paul Hoenisch (Philadelphia Donauschwaben) and Eva Lehner (Akron German Family Society).
These prize winners were nominated and selected by the Landesverband and were each awarded $1000 by the Danube Swabian Foundation.