Callens goes live to donate € 22,300 at ‘Het Warmste Huis’
After 10 weeks of igniting a fight against loneliness for De Warmste Week, colleagues from Callens, Callens-Vyncke, and Optimum by Callens gathered at Het Warmste Huis in Bruges to present a check for an impressive € 22,300. This amount was raised through their "Heatwave" campaign, completing 17 fiery challenges. The effort culminated in a live event at Het Warmste Huis in Bruges.
The Heatwave campaign: combating loneliness together
The Heatwave campaign was about more than raising an impressive sum of money. It also served as a powerful counterbalance to loneliness, the central theme of this year's De Warmste Week. Each challenge brought colleagues closer together, strengthening the team spirit.
"Our 'Band of Fire' perfectly illustrates how teamwork can lead to extraordinary moments," explains bandleader Brecht. "We formed a music group with colleagues from Callens and Callens-Vyncke, spanning various departments. We built strong new connections and had a blast during our fiery performance for our colleagues."
Other challenges also focused on collaboration. Riding 10,000 kilometers in 10 weeks isn't something you do alone—but with the collective effort of colleagues, it became a reality. The same goes for the 2,000 kilometers we ran together. And while every drop of blood donated to the Red Cross matters, we rallied 50 people to roll up their sleeves and donate.
No challenge too hot
No challenge was too hot—or too daring—for us. The bolder, the better! For the "Firewalk" challenge, 41 of us faced a path of burning coals. Did we cross it without burns, yet filled with inner fire? Hell yes!
Another challenge showcased our technical ingenuity: the Stress-o-Meter. Our electricians electrified the Calliërs shield. They designed the blueprint, mapped out the electrical wiring, and teamed up with workshop colleagues to bend and cut the shapes.
Family of fire spreads inner flames
We call ourselves the ‘family of fire’ because of the inner flame that unites us as employees and as a company group. We are driven, resilient, and full of unique talents. For instance, our Design Engineers built a Lego masterpiece of our Waregem headquarters in under 10 weeks. It features Calliërs Gym, a rooftop terrace, a movable bridge crane with a steam boiler, and plenty of inside jokes for visitors to discover at our reception area. We're incredibly proud!
Even Flemish celebrities helped spread our fire. We went all out to get 16 well-known personalities, including Dina Tersago, Ann Wauters, and Yves Lampaert, to share encouraging words for our family of fire.
In addition:
- We sold hundreds of Hotshot boxes with a chocolate roulette (created by Dominique Persoone).
- We pulled off a Mexican Wave with over 50 colleagues.
- We released 100 balloons at our Liège site, asking recipients to let us know where they landed (the farthest traveled almost 100 km!).
- We purchased 100 trees to support global reforestation.
- We volunteered at an organization supporting people with disabilities.
- We challenged our leadership team to conduct extra on-site inspections to promote safety awareness.
- We boosted the response rate for our annual employee survey.
- And we motivated 100% of our colleagues to earn their first cybersecurity training medal.
In short, our inner fire burns brighter than ever. With unforgettable memories—and a check for € 22,300 for De Warmste Week—we conclude this fiery campaign!
