New prince couple of Lebenshilfe: Ruschmeyer and Deipenwisch enthroned!

New prince couple of Lebenshilfe: Ruschmeyer and Deipenwisch enthroned!

On February 15, 2025, an important event took place in Ratingen: Bernd Ruschmeyer and Hana Deipenwisch were officially enthroned as the third couple of Lebenshilfe. This special celebration, which is supposed to honor the tradition of the carnival in the region, took place as part of a festive program in the parish hall of St. Peter and Paul, moderated by Peter Krümmel, a former prince. The event attracted clients of Lebenshilfe as well as representatives from clubs and politics who experienced this day together.

The Lebenshilfe district association Mettmann created this tradition in 2019 with the first enthronement of Lars I and Regina I. Due to the Corona pandemic, the carnival celebrations accounted for in 2021 and 2022. In 2023, Matthias I. and Steffi I were finally proclaimed as the new couple of princes after they had already applied in 2020. Ruschmeyer and Deipenwisch will continue the tradition a few years later.

a moving program

The enthronement of Ruschmeyer and Deipenwisch took place on February 6, 2024, and the two look forward to the celebration with up to 200 guests, which is planned on February 23. Caroline Hutschenreuter, who leads the organization of the event, emphasizes how important the tradition of the carnival for life support is and that this celebration also recognizes the special role of clients.

Bernd Ruschmeyer, who is 61 years old and previously worked in a workshop for people with disabilities, as well as Hana Deipenwisch, who works in a kitchen and is responsible for the food edition, have prepared for numerous public appearances. Among other things, visits in Monheim and other dates are planned. A highlight will be your appearance on Rose Monday if you drive through the downtown Rating on the locomotive of the Rakika and throw yourself with camels and confetti.

commitment and support

The event received a lot of support from former princes and princesses, with Petra Czekalla, ex-princess from 2011, acting as coordinator. At least seven ex-princesses and eleven ex-prince have agreed to help voluntarily with enthronement. In addition, the appearances of the Ratinger Prince's Prince couple, the Great Ratinger Prince couple as well as various music groups, including the "Singing Ratingias" and the keyboard player Olivier Greday.

Lebenshilfe has set itself the goal of continuing this tradition in the hope that the prince couple embodied by Ruschmeyer and Deipenwisch will not remain the last of their kind. This underlines the endeavors of life aid to promote social cohesion and to give people with disabilities through inclusive events. The focus is not only on celebrations, but also on the visibility and appreciation of people with disabilities in the community.

The great progress that has already been achieved in the region is contrasting to the current challenges that people with disabilities often face. While Lebenshilfe in Ratingen is actively working on inclusion, there are also national efforts, such as the master plan Inclusion in Osnabrück, which emphasizes the importance of inclusion in various areas of life. Lebenshilfe chairman Franz Haverkamp has already demanded that inclusion should be more anchored in urban action in order to create an inclusive urban society.

Overall, the ceremony for the life aid prince couple not only shows the carnival as a happy festival, but also as a platform for promoting inclusion, community and understanding in Ratingen.