Highlights of the year 2016

2016 has been an exciting year for AmCham Foundation. But, one thing remains the same and is even stronger than ever, and that is our commitment to help children in need in Hungary.

Although we can’t include everything we have done over the past year on this list, here are the activities which we are particularly proud of. We hope you enjoy reading this as much as we enjoyed being part of it!

Highlights of the year 2016

• Close to 100 corporate volunteers helped out at a temporary home for families run by the RÉS Foundation on the outskirts of Budapest on April 23, 2016. Families living in temporary homes are usually in a dire financial situation, which makes their options for organizing family free-time limited. This home run by the RÉS Foundation is dedicated to helping these families spend quality time together. It was this goal that the ACF sought to support by organizing its traditional spring corporate volunteering day entitled “A Day to Make it Happen”. Employees of AmCham member companies helped to renovate the institution’s playground and create a relaxing garden.
• The AmCham Foundation donated a special prize to Ákos Török, an aspiring virtuoso on June 4, 2016. The young artist received a free master course by Ádám György in order to realize his dream. In 2016, one of the missions of the AmCham Foundation was to support a disadvantaged, young musical talent. We asked the successful television program Virtuózok and the György Ádám Kastélyakadémia to select a precious young talent who was not fortunate enough to make it into the show’s final. It was an especially great honor to support a Hungarian talent from across the border.
• Lexmark employees donated HUF 110,000 to Aprónép Alapítvány via the AmCham Foundation. The money will be spent on a PlusoptiX Pediatric Autorefractor worth more than HUF 2 million – a device that can measure the eyes of infants within one second. In order to add more value to this donation, Lexmark volunteers helped the hospital by painting and cleaning its rehabilitation department. More than 16 volunteers worked 125 hours. In addition, Lexmark also purchased paints, brushes and other necessary items worth HUF 100,000.
• The beginning of autumn marks the opportunity for AmCham member companies to offer volunteering activities to their employees. The AmCham Foundation’s regular initiative, “A Day to Make it Happen” event is a steady staple for those who wish to participate in a meaningful, well-organized volunteering activity. On October 1, more than 100 volunteers participated in three different venues to make the everyday environment of children nicer and safer. Employees from various companies, such as KPMG, Xerox, Tata Consultancy, Lexmark and NCR Hungary helped renovate the playground and the fence that children with multiple disabilities use every day at a school operated by the Bliss Foundation. Together with students from BME High School (who collected valuable hours in social work, required for graduation), employees of AmCham member companies (AmCham Office, Lexmark, Tata Consultancy and Urmet Kft.) cleaned the gardens of the Bólyai utca Children’s Home, created a barefoot trail and assembled pallet furniture. Finally, a team of about dozen volunteers (from Tata Consultancy and HIPA) worked in the School for the Blind, painting a ceramic workshop. Erzsébet Móga, President of the Kézzelfogható Alapítvány commended about the volunteering day: “We have a great relationship with the AmCham Foundation, ever since we started working with them. They are fast and professional; it is a delight working with them.” While the team waited for the paint to dry, Ms Móga showed the volunteers how the ceramics were made, and they got so excited about the various benefits of pottery that the two groups volunteered to co-organize team building events with the School for the Blind. “We will work out the curriculum in January, and we can launch the project during the spring,” explained Ms Móga.
• Raising 4 million HUF to support the AmCham Foundation and SOS Gyermekfalvak
  More than 300 guests attended the annual AmCham – Marriott Thanksgiving Charity Dinnerto celebrate a great American tradition and help children in need by raising 4 million HUF to support the AmCham Foundation and SOS Gyermekfalvak.
  Raffle tickets were sold in mere minutes and the silent auction tables were crowded for hours – more than 60 items found new homes during the event while the charity organizations received a new record in donations.
  Ádám György, one of the world’s best pianists, young musician Ákos Török from the successful talent show Virtuózok and Bálint Gájer performed during the event and Santa Claus came a bit earlier to surprise the children.We would like to thank our sponsors, donators and partners for making it happen!
  American Chamber of Commerce in Hungary, Budapest Marriott Hotel, SOS Gyermekfalvak, Emirates, 3MG Design Solutions, BioHair, Bortársaság, Boscolo Budapest, Autograph Collection, B-F Hungary Kft., chefparade cooking school / főzőiskola, Chili & Vanilia, Forever Living Products (Hungary) Ltd, FirstMed, Hotel Azúr****, Ilcsi Beautifying Herbs Hungary – Since 1958, I PLUSH, Gifie, Mattel, Millipop a mosolygyár, Momentán Társulat, Magyar Vízilabda Szövetség, naturArt, NCR Corporation, Nespresso, Opel, SHISEIDO 資生堂, Spuri Futóbolt, Peppers!, Superbuild.hu, Vinylize by Tipton, Vass Melitta, Vylyan Pincészet, WAMP – the hungarian design market, World Class Hungary & Zosha Works

• Getting to Know the wonderful world of filmmaking!
  On December 3 more than 70 disadvantaged children (Bólyai Gyermekotthon, Cseppkő Gyermekotthonok, Kézzelfogható Alapítvány, RÉS Szociális és Kulturális Alapítvány) and more than 50 AmCham member company employees visited the Korda Filmpark’s interactive exhibition and attend the studio tour.During the nearly three-hour program, the children were able to learn who does what in a film crew, the process of making a movie from the idea to execution, and what sound supervisors actually do among other things. We were enlightened about the working process in the sound studio. We could simulate the clatter of hoofs in from adventure movies and were shown a number of other film secrets got revealed.The most exciting part was learning how they make some of the effects for the film “Giants and Dwarves” and naturally the motorcycling on the bank of the Danube! The guests saw how they make the water scenes, and what it is like when a battleship blows up (the line for this attraction was particularly long!)
  All-in-all the children were able to taste the wonderful world of movie making, and as a takeaway present were able to take photos in ‘New York’ and a ‘medieval’ villages.We are grateful to the ExxonMobil BSC and Interag Holding for their support and to other AmCham members for their attendance to witness the children’s happiness.
• ACF Generosity Award 2016 winners
  For 27 years, the AmCham Foundation has been assisting institutions that are supplying or supporting those who are permanently in need or require help due to unexpected circumstances, primarily children. The Foundation established the Generosity Award in 2005, in order to thank those supporters of the Foundation who – compared to their own opportunities – contribute the most to the Foundation’s goals.
  In 2016, the AmCham Foundation moved 270 volunteers who helped many different foundations, children’s homes and hospitals in more than 2,000 working hours, so now we can say that the AmCham Foundation reached more than 1000 children of 10 institutions in 2016.
  The winners of this award, besides their commitment to the good cause, contributed the ACF’s actions with 90 people and 720 hours of volunteer work for the chosen institutions.

  We are proud to announce the recipients of ACF Generosity Award 2016: Lexmark Hungary and Tata Consultancy Services Hungary!

THINK BIG – SUPPORT THE SMALLEST!

27 YEARS’ EXPERIENCE
NEARLY 100 SUPPORTED CHILDREN’S INSTITUTIONS
MORE THAN HUF 380 MILLION GRANT
MOVED 270 VOLUNTEERS
MORE THAN 2000 HOURS OF VOLUNTEERS WORK IN 2016

770 FOLLOWERS
MORE THAN 32,868 REACHED PEOPLE
4,960 ACTIVE USERS – FROM JUNE, 2016

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