Erste Corporate Volunteering SOS DS Lekenik
Lekenik, 22 April 2016 – Hard-working volunteers from Erste&Steiermärkische Bank d.d. (Erste bank) brightened up a sunny Friday at the SOS Children’s Village Lekenik. The long-standing partners of the SOS Children’s Village Croatia again lent a hand this spring to make life even more pleasant for the SOS families.
25 volunteers got down to work and painted the pergolas of as many as five SOS homes in a single morning. With good company, strong motivation and lots of incentive to help the Village in Lekenik, which currently cares for some 80 parentless children and children without adequate parental care, the job was well done.
When their work was done, the crew of volunteers from Erste banka enjoyed a delicious lunch and coffee as their reward, break and refreshment, and then went home with their hearts full. This event was another confirmation of the excellent long-standing cooperation between Erste bank and the Association SOS Children’s Village Croatia, a true example of a long-standing partnership.
About the SOS Children’s Village Croatia
The Association SOS Children’s Village Croatia has been active since 25 February 1992 as a full member of SOS Kinderdorf International, the world’s largest non-governmental organisation that takes care of children and young people seated in Innsbruck, Austria. There are 533 SOS Children’s Villages worldwide today and 2310 supporting SOS projects, including SOS nursery schools, SOS projects for young people, SOS community centres, SOS schools, SOS educational centres, SOS hospitals, and SOS emergency intervention projects.
The Association SOS Children’s Village in Croatia cares for 240 parentless children and children without adequate parental care in two Villages, Lekenik and Ladimirevci, and gives them a carefree and happy childhood through its family building mission. Donors and partners have been a great help with their corporate responsibility programmes, making them long-standing partners one can always count on.
About Erste bank:
Erste bank has been regularly organising corporate volunteering for its employees as a form of corporate social responsibility since 2008. Employees contribute their work to improve the standard of the institution where the volunteering is organised, and the Bank donates the material needed for the realisation of a specific activity. Institutions that Bank employees volunteered at so far include
the Vinko Bek Education Centre, Caritas’ homes for children without adequate parental care, and the homes for children and adults with physical and mental disabilities in Tresnjevka and Brezovica. The park and garden of the Children’s Home in Nazorova were landscaped as a part of the programme too. Erste Group employees take part in these activities too, and the employees often inquire about new opportunities to participate in corporate volunteering. Erste banka employees have their own fund raising initiative during the Erste Happy Hour several times a year, when they raise funds for humanitarian purposes by selling cakes they prepare by themselves. In addition to its corporate volunteering programme, Erste banka supports other humanitarian, sports and culture projects financially, having set aside somewhat more than HRK 7.3 million for this purpose in 2015.