Atherton to Germany - SUSPENDED SPHERICAL TREEHOUSES STEP INSIDE VAN GOGH'S ART - GoldenHearts
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MAY 2021
A PRIVATE MAGAZINE FOR THE RESIDENTS OF ATHERTON, CALIFORNIA
PHOTO PROVIDED BY JETKAT PHOTO
Golden Hearts from
Atherton to Germany
SUSPENDED SPHERICAL TREEHOUSES
STEP INSIDE VAN GOGH'S ART
BROW LIFT
Resident
FEATURE
The Janssen family, formerly of Atherton,
currently live in Pforzheim, Germany.
Front Row: Torben Janssen,
Cover Photo: GoldenHearts board members Laura Frauke Janssen, Henrieke Janssen
Vaughan, Marie Vought and Moni Puri-Schlotter. Back Row: Michael Janssen, Wiebke Janssen
and Niklas Janssen
Dogs: Barney and Cooper
Golden Hearts Across the Ocean,
From Atherton to Germany
F
By Abbie Burgess
rauke Janssen was living in Atherton with her husband 5,000 refugees since 2014, half of them women. This was a small
and children when they watched TV footage of fraction of the hundreds of thousands of refugees that the German
immigrants arriving in droves to their homeland in government granted protection to, in response to the wars in the
Germany. They wanted to do something to help. Their Middle East. While the German government has programs in place to
time in America had inspired them to contribute to help acclimate the refugees, the language issue fell through the cracks.
philanthropic causes, and they were ready to start a Without knowing the German language, refugees were at a distinct
nonprofit of their own. GoldenHearts was born in disadvantage—especially mothers with small children. Most of them
2016, a program to support refugees from Syria and the have not had a chance to take local language classes because they have
Middle East and their families. to care for their young children at home. “We close the gap that should
not be there in the first place,” Frauke explains.
Closing the Language Gap
GoldenHearts exists to give them the opportunity to integrate as soon
GoldenHearts focuses on the Janssens’ hometown of Pforzheim, a as possible into the German society and help them to build a new life
town in southwest Germany near the Black Forest. Though the town for themselves and their families – to learn the local language is the
has a population of just over 100,000 it has welcomed more than
Continued >>>
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Atherton Living | May 2021 9
Resident Feature Continued >>>
The board includes Frauke Janssen and her husband Michael in
Germany, and Marie Vought, Moni Puri-Schlotter and Laura Vaughan
in Menlo Park and Atherton. “I love that GoldenHearts is integrating
the immigrant community so that they can become autonomous
citizens,” says Moni, who got involved partly due to her affinity for
Germany, where she lived and worked for nearly a decade. She adds,
“GoldenHearts has an incredible mission that I want to support!”
Every school year, GoldenHearts supports more than 250 women and
their children by offering low-threshold German language classes for
mothers. “In addition, we help Elementary School children with their
homework, and we sing and play in German with the younger ones,”
Frauke explains. She adds that GoldenHearts’ programs are often the
first ones these immigrants attend after coming to Europe.
The pandemic has not stopped the organization from providing
outreach. This spring the nonprofit started the GoldenHearts Online
Academy to give women the chance to continue learning via technology.
Since its inception in 2016, more than 700 mothers and 800 children
have benefitted from GoldenHearts’ programs. Currently, volunteers
are raising funds to expand the programs into two new schools in the
fall of 2021.
Moni Schlotter (Menlo Park) and Manuela Mischke-Reeds (Woodside) make German
Advent wreaths, all proceeds benefitted GoldenHearts (December 2020).
first step to the long process of integration. For many participants
in the program, this is their first time learning to read or write any
language. Two-thirds have never learned to read or write, making their
GoldenHearts training that much more valuable.
When Frauke and her family moved back to her hometown in Germany
from Atherton in 2017, she was able to continue the nonprofit’s work
closer to the cause. GoldenHearts has a presence at six elementary
schools, teaching classes for mothers and their children. Every school year, GoldenHearts supports more than 250 women and their
children by offering low-threshold German language classes for mothers.
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10 Atherton Living | May 2021
More than 700 mothers and 800 children have benefitted from GoldenHearts’ programs.
One Refugee’s Story
The GoldenHearts website chronicles the success stories of young Iraqi
women who participated in the organization’s mother/child classroom
program. Simah, a young Iraqi woman in her early twenties, fled her
war-torn home country along with her brother in 2016. They were on
Environmentally sensitive pest management for
the run for over a month, walking for days at a time. When Simah talks
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about her experiences on a little boat that took them from Turkey to Industry leading services for schools, hospitals, offices, museums, warehouses, and more.
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journey took four days, including an entire day and night of heavy storms
that shook their boat so violently the passengers didn’t know if they Family owned and operated since 1985
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Once they arrived safely in Germany, they felt exhausted but
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tremendously relieved. Simah says she loves how in Germany everything
is safe and quiet. Though
Report ants when grateful to have found asylum, her arrival is
1 you see them 2 3
made bittersweet by missing the family she left behind. Simah’s goals A company with genuine concern for its customers. Extra experts in their field.
are to learn German
Why Am I asSeeing quickly
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possible, find work and build a new They solve your pest problems.
- Adam C.
life in Europe.
Scholarship Program Contact Us Today For A Consultation
Luis Agurto Jr., President & CEO
Another arm of the nonprofit is the scholarship program. “Especially
888 N. First St., Suite 209
to give young female students with a migration background a chance San Jose, CA 95112
to build a better life, we established the GoldenHearts Scholarship for 408-564-6196
www.pestec.com
Girls in 2019. We granted our first scholarship to an especially talented
and gifted student at Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton,” Frauke explains.
For inspiration and to learn more, visit https://goldenhearts.online/en/
aboutus.
Atherton Living | May 2021 11
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