The VÚB Foundation supported projects worth EUR 550 thousand last year
B R A T I S L A V A (January 26, 2009) VÚB Bank ranks among the most active companies in the ambit of corporate social responsibility. The VÚB Foundation has been working and supporting projects in the area of charity, education and art for five years. In 2008 it granted the amount of EUR 550 thousand.
Foundation programme focused on charity is very rich and helps various disabled groups to have equal life chances. It supports development of protected work places, protected housing and funds therapy for the disabled. For several years VUB Foundation has been cooperating on the project Všetci sú doma (Everybody Is at Home) that supports foster families and provides finance for their education and free time activities. Facilitation of health care providers and organizations devoting to oncology patients has been really significant. The amount of 66 thousand EUR for purchase of instruments and equipment for hospital units were sent to the Leukaemia Foundation, the Cancer Research Foundation and Poprad Hospital. Project Bezpečná cesta do školy (Safe Journey to School) aimed at children’s accidents prevention near primary schools continued also in 2008. In addition to Bratislava, Košice and Prešov newly joined cities of Banská Bystrica and Poprad have extended the project area.
Long term preservation of cultural heritage and creation of new cultural values is the aim of the programme Art. „We have been cooperating with the Calvary Fund on restoration of the most beautiful baroque building Banska Štiavnica Calvary and signing ten-year partnership with the Fund is considered a key issue“, said Ignacio Jaquotot, Chairman of Board of Trustees of VUB Foundation. It is historically the largest private donation equalling EUR 663,878. Moreover, the VUB Foundation has continued to support young contemporary artists and has organized two competitions: Maľba 2008 (Painting 2008) and FOTO ROKA 2008 (Photo of the Year 2008). Winners gallery from both competitions is available on www.nadaciavub.sk. The VÚB Foundation is one of very few Slovak foundations that aim their programmes to cultural heritage preservation. It has funded several restoration works such as restoration of painting collections of the Stredoslovenské Museum and the Museum in Svätý Anton, preservation of historical globes in the Lyceum Library and restoration of wooden church in the village of Potoky in Eastern Slovakia. Overall the VÚB Foundation granted the amount of EUR 160 thousand for preservation of cultural heritage.
Furthermore, the VÚB Foundation pays great attention to the area of education. It supports especially universities of economic and technical orientation, which focus on improvement of education and prepare outstanding and invention projects for their students. Last year it granted them the amount of EUR 69 thousand.
