We Made it Happen – April 25, 2015 – Corporate Volunteers Day
The AmCham Foundation (ACF) has again held its traditional volunteering program, ‘A Day to Make it Happen’, organized with the help of the Aprónép Alapítvány a Gyermekek Megsegítésére, the Zsótér Pál Alapítvány, the Snétberger Zenei Tehetség Kiemelten Közhasznú Alapítvány and the contributions of employees of AmCham member companies.
This year the ACF program offered three different venues between April 20 and 25, making it easy for volunteers to find the time and place most suitable for them. More than 60 people participated from Citibank, Tata, KPMG, American Express and many other companies.
Volunteers could meet new people as well as learn more about their colleagues while working on the garden of the Children and Youth Rehabilitation Department of the Children’s Hospital of Buda. “I would like to participate in voluntary work again, because it is a good program: I could get to know new people, colleagues I do not work with every day, and we got to work outside in the open air,” commented Dóri from KPMG. Kata from American Express explained, “We came here to help the hospital, but this is a great opportunity for team building as well.”
The building and garden, situated in Budapest’s green belt offers excellent opportunities for complex therapy, although these are limited due to a lack of funds. The goal of the volunteer day therefore was to beautify the garden by planting bushes, flowers and a spice-garden, giving patients something to care for.
Another supported organization, the Mexikó utca Mozgásjavító Kindergarten, Primary and Secondary School, EGYMI and College offered to show corporate colleagues how disabled children and adults spend their days in order to enhance sensitivity.
Zsuzsa Rajki, a longstanding member of the AmCham Foundation’s Board of Trustees, summarized the spring program: “I am completely satisfied with the event; we had enthusiastic and committed teams, who were not discouraged by hard work. Company representatives were discussing how they organized volunteer events – this is a great success for us, since it is no longer just we who are spreading the value of volunteering, but it is spreading from one company to the next. We see that there is an increasing demand for voluntary work, as they bring both the donors and the receivers closer, giving everybody a win-win experience.” – by Anikó Kraft
We Made it Happen again! – October 3, 2015 – Corporate Volunteers Day
A fairies’ garden and a witch’s kitchen were the bounties of this year’s Indian Summer: Around eighty corporate volunteers worked together with the little inhabitants on refurbishing the gardens of the Bólyai Children’s home.
It was still quite chilly in the morning when the volunteers gathered in the gardens and were briefed on the day’s tasks, but by mid-morning, everyone was busy working in just t-shirts in the 11th district of Budapest. Some worked on sanding and painting the new wooden furniture, some planted fruit trees, while others busied themselves cleaning up the street along the fence or tending to the spice gardens, and a last group was responsible for cooking lunch in three large kettles on campfires. The kids of the children’s home who spent the weekend there split their time joining the different groups and helping them. They were so enthralled with the work that they hardly cared for the face painting and the other activities planned just for them.
The volunteers of Tata Consultancy and Lexmark were the among the first to answer the call this year, and being joined by people from Alcoa-Köfém, Oracle, NCR Hungary, Budapest Hilton, Circular Foundation, Mapi, Gléda, Urmet and AmCham Office – close to a hundred corporate volunteers pitched in.
Thank you for the support of participating companies with providing the tools needed for the work: fruit trees, fertile soil, flowers, seedlings, flower bulbs, pallets, tools, paints, pastry.
They refurbished the gardens to create a space to enable the kids to actively and usefully spend their free time. Many arrived together with their children, setting an example in helping those in need at an early age.
Thanksgiving Charity Drive
In July of this year, the AmCham Foundation launched its traditional Thanksgiving Charity Drive with the consistent purpose of helping poor children living in Hungary. We received 54 valid applications to our “Rich leisure time – kiddiwink’s pleasure” competition, which we announced in 2015.
The United States of America is a large country, and despite the size difference, there are lots of common things exist between Hungary. Generosity and social responsibility are just a few of them. These values were leading us to think big and support small organizations who live the same values as AmCham Foundation. Similarly to the country size, our Foundation is relatively small but powerful entity in Hungary reaching to hundreds kids yearly.
While we don’t question the eligibility (or need) of the bigger Associations for our support, this year we decided to support small foundations – accepting the offer of the ACF Board of Trustees of the Committee of Experts and introduce below – to reach their goals:
- Manna Non-profit Association (Manna Közhasznú Egyesület)– Theatre and Globe-trotting „Seven-mile tales” For visually impaired children (90 people). The program is very valuable, it’s professionally well thought out, keeping in mind the needs of the target groups. They would like to have 3 performances of the E10’s “Seven-miles tales” barrier-free for visually impaired children. These performances are repeatable and there is no need for additional resources to repeat them, so the shows are sustainable for a longer period of time.
- Pécs Scene Association: Study group operation two times a week. (15 people per occasion, mainly for disadvantaged kids with Roma origins) They provide regular occupations in Pécsbányatelep, out of the applied sum. This would mean learning, programs related to the study groups 2 times a week, as well as trips, and camps with volunteers. It’s a complex program and an exemplary project.
- The National Association for the Students of Community Service. “Reward trip for the best students of the MEGYEK rescue program.”
- Pécsi Children’s Home Foundation. “Adventure camp for the students of the Pécsi Children’s home.
- Szól a Szív Foundation of Blind Children School – Garden greening with irrigation system (600 sqm land) and providing for the children a physical development playground with three pieces of equipment.
December 13, 2015 – Donation, which affects all of our senses!
The AmCham Foundation disabled a fairy-tale performance with audio narration on the 13th of December for visually impaired children, with the implementation of the AKKU association, together with one of the winners of the 2015 competition, the Manna non-profit association. The performance was third in line, a journey that was lively, exciting, also understandable for visually impaired children, where the remote cultures became nearby, everything became tactile, visual.
The invited children were able to witness an exemplary integration – this theatre play was a unique experience, where the visually and/or other impaired children could enjoy the performance together with their healthy peers.
After the performance the American Chamber of Commerce handed over the donor letters to the winners of the “Rich leisure time – kiddiwink’s pleasure“ competition, announced in the summer.
Bencsik Edit, member of the AmCham Foundation Supervisory Board said: “We are proud to help the disadvantaged children with our 3 million forints donation this year, and to do this by also sensitizing the integrated healthy children and teach them that being different is ok.”
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR ALL THE SUPPORT!
To every person and company who has shown their generosity to help the AmCham Foundation support children; we thank you very much.
Alcoa-Köfém, American Express, AmCham Hungary, Budapest Marriott, Budapest Hilton, Burger King,
Carlson Wagonlit Travel, Circular Foundation, Citibank Europe plc Magyarországi Fióktelepe,
Dow Hungary Chemicals,
Gléda Kft., Exxon BSC, Interag Holding, IPark Pécs Kft., KPMG, LEGO, Lexmark,
MAPI, ManageMentor, NCR, Oracle, Tata Consultancy, Urmet Kft.
Your contribution has directly impacted the services we offer to children in Hungary!
THINK BIG – SUPPORT THE SMALLEST!
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