On March 24, Association of Philanthropists’ of Ukraine announced the winners of the fourth national contest “Charitable Ukraine”. SoftServe’s Charitable Fund “Open eyes” became the winner in the category “Corporate Volunteering” for a number of projects, implemented thanks to the active participation of the employees and support of the company. In this category the following companies were also awarded: public company “Favorite Company” (Zhytomyr) – second place, private limited company “Auchan Hypermarket Ukraine” (Kyiv) – third place.

“We have filed nine major projects for this contest,” says Taras Vervega, Board of Directors member at SoftServe and head of the Charity Foundation “Open Eyes”. “Among them a creation of unique in Western Ukraine modern cabinet for underwater spine stretching at the Lviv military hospital, Modernization (lighting) of the pedestrian crossing in Lviv; educational project “IT schoolchild” (Ivano-Frankivsk). Nevertheless, most of the resources in 2015 were aimed, of course, at helping the defenders of Ukraine. In particular, we have acquired and handed to volunteers and militarists technical equipment, communications equipment, optical devices, automobiles, computers and so on in total cost of more than 5.5 million UAH, co-financed the training on tactical medicine for 1200 militarists, conducted by the GI «T-Helpers”, bought two reanimobiles, one of which is in use in ATO area, and another one is being used in Lviv region in disaster medicine and emergency medical care.

I want to specially note the initiative of employees on making drones for ATO, providing equipment and medicines to militarists and medical facilities. Overall, for the last year, SoftServe has provided the assistance in total amount of 9 million UAH. Most of these funds were gathered among the employees, the systematic support was also received from the company. “That is why this ward belongs to all the employees, whose direct participation and support made it possible to implement all the initiatives mentioned above!” claims Taras Vervega.

“More than 40 employees from all the offices of our company are actively involved in helping militarists, in terms of the Fund’s activities”, says Ulyana Budenkevych, executive director of the Charity Fund” Open Eyes». “We are also trying to implement non-military projects, which are the initiatives of our employees in different areas: improvement of cities, where we work, health and educational improvements, and others. In order for the idea of an employee to be considered and implemented, as it was with the lighting in pedestrian crossing in Lviv, near the supermarket “Auchan” (author of Dmytro Ivanov), it is enough to write about it in our mailbox fund@softserveinc.com. Then we examine it in more details at the level of Working Group and the management of the Fund and adopt an appropriate decision on financing the project. Our next step is to launch the Foundation’s website, on which our employee volunteers have been working for a long time. The site will allow online fundraising for the ideas-projects of the employees within the company, and will contain all the information related to the process of implementation of these projects and much more.”

Information

National contest “Charitable Ukraine” – a large-scale initiative, which aims to honor the best Ukrainian philanthropists, including volunteers and most effective charitable initiatives. Among the participants of the contest – socially responsible businesses, social, voluntary and charitable organizations and communities, individuals, children and youth groups, initiative groups, associations, media. This year’s winners were announced in 16 different categories; in general, the organizing committee received 712 applications from community organizations, businesses and volunteers. To announce the best ones and award them, organizers invited well-known Ukrainians. At the ceremony were present: First Lady of Ukraine, Maryna Poroshenko, Patriarch of Kyiv and all Rus-Ukraine, Filaret, People’s Deputy of Ukraine, Mykola Knyazhytskyy, Deputy Minister of Social Policy of Ukraine, Vitaliy Muschynin, Head of the Supervisory Board of International Charity Fund “Ukraine 3000”, Kateryna Yushchenko, writer and publisher, Ivan Malkovich, Head of Regulatory services, Ksenia Lyapina, Director of Support Fund of youth and Olympic swimming, organizer of Ukrainian project “Help Sports”, Inna Silantieva, member of the Supervisory Board of the contest”Charitable Ukraine” Marina Odolska, public figures, as well as a wide range of benefactors and people who care about the development of philanthropy in Ukraine. An independent jury evaluated the contestants. The winners received the highest unique charitable award in Ukraine – amber “Good Angel”.