The social framework and the relationship between state, economy and society are in a state of upheaval. The social involvement of companies and their contribution to solving social problems are becoming more important. Deutsche Börse Group firmly believes that involvement in the community is therefore a necessary addition to social security by the state. In this way we support targeted social organizations and relief projects, mainly at our locations. We do this either through classic donations or increasingly through the active participation of our employees, who provide their labor or expertise. In this respect, it is important to us that we create new opportunities through our support of children and youths, which open the path for a better future. Social Day: looking beyond one's own backyard Since 2004, we have been the principal partner of the Social Day, an initiative of the Frankfurt Order of Maltese Volunteers. Our employees spend a day working at a charitable or public organization and thereby provide important support. For example, they renovate schools and other institutions, install new computers for a daycare center or design a webpage together with children of an after school care center. In addition to the employees' personal involvement with Social Day, we support these schools financially and through donations in kind. Inspired by the Frankfurt project, our employees in Luxembourg have held a Social Day since 2006. It is also planned to expand this event to our location in London. X-Charity: going once, going twice... donated! The “X-Charity” fund-raising event was held in the Neue Börse for the first time in 2008. In cooperation with the „Börsianer Handeln e. V.“ association, we invited guests from the financial industry to a concert evening to raise money for a children’s aid project. Sponsors and donors raised a total of €150,000 to help improve the living conditions of numerous children in Petrilla, Romania – quickly and unbureaucratically. Charity Committee: diversified involvement A number of years ago employees at our Luxembourg location founded the Charity Committee on their own initiative, which now has some 20 volunteers. The committee organizes various campaigns and donations for a selection of social projects. From personal participation in renovating several rooms at the “Kannerland” children’s home to donations for constructing schools in Bainet, Romania, and the Ladakh region of India, our employees in Luxembourg provide global assistance in a variety of ways. They also help during the Christmas 'Toys for Tots' project, where needy children staple their wish lists to Christmas trees in the company's buildings. Our employees then take on the role of Santa Claus and provide the gifts wished for by the children. Demelza: help for children in London As part of its social involvement, our London office has supported the local children’s hospice, Demelza, since the beginning of 2008 with, amongst other things, donations from industry representatives. Demelza offers outpatient care free of charge for affected families in addition to inpatient care and is almost completely funded by private donations and company contributions. We do not intend our relief action to be a one-off; we plan to establish a long-term cooperation with Demelza to provide continued support to the hospice in the future. This will be in the form of both financial help and personal involvement by our employees. Further information is available on the key area of social involvement in our Corporate Responsibility Report [.pdf]. | 
