These founders win the Körber Foundation's Encore Award

A concept for local supply centers, laundry for people with limited mobility, and an educational program for schoolchildren: With their start-ups, the award winners are making a difference in society.

The Körber Foundation has announced this year's winners of the Encore Award: Heinz Frey, Gisela-Elisabeth Winkler and Ernst-Andreas Ziegler will receive the award, which is endowed with 60,000 euros each. The Encore Award is aimed at founders over the age of 60.

67-year-old Heinz Frey from Jülich has developed a concept for supplying structurally weak regions: Food, social and medical services and culture are offered in local centers. They are intended to be meeting places and create jobs. In 2005, the former teacher opened the first village center in Jülich-Barmen. In the meantime, he has scaled the concept and, with his company Dorv, advises places on how to implement it. There are now more than 40 such local supply centers.

Gisela-Elisabeth Winkler is 82 years old and receives the Encore Award for her work in her company "Ladig und Winkler". At the age of 70, the Berlin native invented "Saba Laundry" with her sister Sigrid Ladig. Winkler's husband was seriously ill and could move only to a limited extent. So that he could continue to dress himself, the two women designed underwear that could be opened in the front and placed around the body. Winkler, a former mathematician, now sells the underwear in Germany and other European countries and has applied for approval as a nursing aid.

At 83, Ernst-Andreas Ziegler is the oldest of the award winners. In 2008, the former journalist founded the Junior Uni in Wuppertal. There, children and young people can learn and experiment in math and science outside of school. The annual costs of 1.7 million euros are borne by partners of the Junior Uni. Ziegler has also helped set up Junior Unis in three other cities.