This year as many as 10 companies and corporate foundations were awarded the Benefactor of the Year title for their activities in the area of health care, ecology, education, and social aid carried out in cooperation with NGOs. The awards for counteracting negative effects of pandemic, awarded in a special category, went to Allegro.pl, Studio K2 Krzysztof Rauhut and #POMAGAMYSZPITALOM coalition of firms. The statuettes were presented at the ceremony at the Capitol Theater in Warsaw on May 27.
In EDUCATION category the award went to Lenovo Technology B.V. Sp. z o.o. company for supporting young people of educational care centers, charges of Good Initiatives Foundation, among other things. The company has involved its employees in #PaczkaDlaSeniora (#ParcelforSenior) campaign and supported a pandemic-related campaign run by University of Warsaw. The second winner in that category was PKO Bank Polski Foundation which granted almost PLN 1 m to SIEMACHA Association. The grant made it possible to create an online platform offering educational and arts classes, as well as psychological support to the charges of the Association. On top of that, the Foundation gave children and young people computers that allowed them to participate in distance education, funded their participation in summer camps, and also paid the cost of 5,000 meals for low-income families.
The Benefactor of the Year title for activities in ECOLOGY was awarded to STU ERGO HESTIA SA. which has organized a competition on ecology for the last five years. The competition gives a chance to finance implementation of modern environment protection solutions in communes and municipalities where spas are located. The company has set up two foundations supporting the disabled and art students. In 2020, the Foundation granted PLN 1 m for equipment for paramedics in the times of COVID-19 pandemic .
In LOCAL DEVELOPMENT category the Competition Chapter awarded Studio Reklamy VALDEX s.c. for its responsiveness to the needs of Kluczbork municipality residents and long-term socially responsible activities. The company regularly finances the residents’ charity campaigns, and prints the advertising materials for free. It is a sponsor of local tournaments, supports talented young people and the well-known in the region Stobrawa Valley Act Locally Group which is the Act Locally Center.
In SOCIAL ASSISTANCE category the Benefactor of the Year title went to Michał Szafrański’s business. Michał Szafrański is the author of the How To Save Money blog, podcasts, and bestselling books who has been supporting Pajacyk (Puppet) program of Polish Humanitarian Action for six years now. In 2020 he donated over PLN 170,000 for feeding children, he also helps promote the organization by informing about its activities on his blog, in his public speeches and during other meetings, he also popularizes the idea of wise assistance. Funds raised by Michał Szafrański and his readers have exceeded the amount of PLN 400,000, that is paid for over 100,000 lunches in Puppet feeding children program. The other company awarded in SOCIAL ASSISTANCE category is the Foundation of Biedronka chain of supermarket established in 2020. Its objective is to improve the quality of seniors’ life, therefore as part of poverty, loneliness and exclusion counteracting campaign the Foundation in cooperation with Caritas has launched the For Everyday Shopping program offering shopping cards, a campaign popularizing the Life Envelope, Making Your Dreams Come True program of Christmas gifts for lonely seniors, as well as local Caritas projects that activate seniors. In 2020 the Foundation organized assistance program for day-and-night care centers for seniors (such as social welfare homes, hospices, medical care facilities, homeless shelters). Only for For Everyday Shopping program it has donated PLN 14.5 m.
In SPORTS category the Benefactor of the Year title went to Ligihalowe.pl S.C. A. Świerzewski, B. Gendera for the third time in row. From the beginning, the company founders see their business also as an opportunity to help people. They know well that sports events make an ideal opportunity to combine sports competition with charity. The company cooperates with Stowarzyszenie Zawsze Aktywni (Always Active Association) and supports seriously ill children. The other winner in that category is established last year Fundacja 4F Pomaga (4F Helps Foundation). Thanks to its action ran jointly with Dziękujemy Bohaterom. Pomagamy Ich Dzieciom (We Thank the Heroes. We Help Their Children) Local Funds Federation children of medics received 1000 gift cards worth PLN 5,000 to 4F shops. The Foundation also organized Let’s Start with the Basics competition promoting healthy life style among children that rose a lot of positive emotions at the difficult time of pandemic.
In HEALTH category the statuette went to Altair East Sp. z o.o. of Wrocław. Since 2019, the company has donated over PLN 117,000 from the sale of Starwax products to Saving Kids With Cancer Foundation. The money went to the Emergency Fund for expensive therapies for children with cancer and purchase of not reimbursed kits for care for the Broviac catheter, that is a so-called central line catheter. The other winner in that category is Nationale-Nederlanden Life Insurance Company. In 2020 the company for the 6th time supported the Movember Polska campaign. This time it facilitated the men not only to have screening test for testicular and prostate cancers but also responded to increased problems with psychic life of Poles due to lockdown and extended its campaign with the workshops and consultations on how to manage long term stress and lockdown at home and how to diagnose disorder symptoms in co-workers and family members.
Business counters virus
This year two companies and a coalition of firms were awarded in a special COUNTERACTING NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC category. For activities in the local area the title went to Studio K2 Krzysztof Rauhut of Piła. That company did not decrease its social involvement at the time of pandemic despite the fact that its business activity was much restricted. Thank to the social energy of its owner and employees the #MuremZaGastro campaign encouraging other companies to order meals from local restaurants and #MuremZaKulturą campaign that led to organization of TV broadcast of local bands concert and raising money for artists. Also, the company owner Krzysztof Rauhut organized meals for medics, started to produce visors that he personally delivered, together with other personal protection equipment, to health care centers. On top of that, the company supported the purchase of respirators for the hospital in Piła.
For activities all over Poland the Competition Committee awarded the title of the Benefactor of the Year to Allegro.pl Sp. z o.o. Responding to the employees requests to do so and current social needs the company set up a fund worth PLN 2 million to finance the ideas of supporting homeless people, seniors, the disabled, poverty-stricken, or people in quarantine and isolated. These ideas were submitted by over 200 employees. Aid was also offered to social welfare homes and hospices, and the company donated money for buying computers for students of low-income families to allow them distance learning. Allegro.pl created a health service staff support program, and based on experience gained by the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity and Medics for Medics Foundation it presented the health care institutions with basic equipment, laboratory devices, respirators, and personal protection equipment. Under the #stay_safe campaign Allegro.pl employees got tools for and were trained in remote work, as well as a voucher worth PLN 1,000 to buy equipment allowing them for comfortable work from home.
The statuette for the coalition of firms was handed over to representatives of Fundacja Urtica Dzieciom (Urtica for Children Foundation), representing #POMAGAMYSZPITALOM (We Help Hospitals) coalition. They created the https://pomagamyszpitalom.pl/ communication platform for hospitals that had big needs of personal protection equipment, various devices, hygienic materials and disinfectants. It allows hospitals to report their needs and then companies offer them support. Urtica for Children Foundation has a lot of experience in supporting health care sector – for 24 years it has been supporting children patients in 18 oncology and hematology wards all over Poland.
About the Competition
The competition for the Benefactor of the Year title is the biggest and the oldest competition of that type in Poland. It has been awarding socially responsible companies invariably, year by year for 25 years. It collects and presents good practices of large corporations (most experienced in CSR and CCI) but also charity actions of SMEs.
The winners in all categories were selected by the Competition Chapter composed of President of Polish-American Freedom Foundation: Jerzy Koźmiński, Chairperson of the Management Board of Polish Confederation Lewiatan Henryka Bochniarz, Business Centre Club Vice President for social contacts, member of UN GCNP Program Council Anna Potocka-Domin, President of Responsible Business Forum Marzena Strzelczak, Chairperson of the Polish Donors Forum, Rural Development Foundation Justyna Duriasz-Bułhak, a representative and President of Board of UN Global Compact Network Poland Kamil Wyszkowski, economic journalist Kazimierz Krupa, President of the Employers of Poland Andrzej Malinowski, PhD, Prof. Bolesław Rok, PhD, Centre of the Positive Impact Entrepreneurship Analyses at Kozminski University, and journalist Jerzy Karwelis.
The organizer of the Competition for the Benefactor of the Year title is the Academy for the Development of Philanthropy in Poland. The event is funded by the Polish-American Freedom Foundation. The procedure correctness of the Competition is supervised by the auditor, EY company. The Partners in the 24th round of the Competition are Polish Confederation Lewiatan, Business Centre Club, Global Compact Network Poland, Employers of Poland, the Responsible Business Forum, and Polish Donors Forum. The Sector Partners are: ngo.pl portal, CR Navigator, marketingprzykawie.pl, odpowiedzialnybiznes.pl, poradnikprzedsiebiorcy.pl, egospodarka.pl, Nowy Marketing, HR na obcasach, HR Polska, publicrelations.pl.
More information on www.dobroczyncaroku.pl
Contact persons:
- Katarzyna Kunert – PR and social media, tel. 795484462
- Emilia Dmochowska – the Competition Coordinator
