2005 Via Bona Award Winners

The winners in all four categories of the 2005 Via Bona Awards were named at an award giving ceremony on Tuesday September 20th at the American Ambassador’s Residence in Prague, which was followed by a reception in honor of the occasion hosted by the U.S. Ambassador William Cabaniss and his wife Catherine. The award selection committee chose exemplary donors in four categories from a list of nearly 70 companies and individual donors nominated from throughout the Czech Republic.

The Via Bona Award in the category for Large Companies was given to Stavební spořitelna České spořitelny, a. s., for their on-going support of the Portus Civic Association and the Akce cihla (Brick Drive) Benefit Event, whose aim is to raise financial support for the construction of assisted living homes in Slapy for people with mental disabilities.

Stavební spořitelna České spořitelny has been working with Portus since the idea of assisted housing for the mentally handicapped and the Brick Drive Benefit Event existed only on paper. This successful partnership was established in 1999 between Stavební spořitelna České spořitelny and Portus, who was at that time a young, relatively unknown organization. The long-term support of Stavební spořitelna České spořitelny allowed for the creation and implementation of the “Brick Drive” which has now become a well-known annual benefit event. Stavební spořitelna České spořitelny has donated a total of CZK 6 million to the Portus Civic Association and have also provided the inhabitants of the assisted housing in Slapy with a range of practical gifts.
“Financing a Better Living for All is the mission of our company. This is not simply a proclamation, but something we actually believe,” says Jiří Plíšek, Chairman of the Board and General Director of the Stavební spořitelna České spořitelny.

The Via Bona Award in the category for Small and Middle Sized Firms was given to the Písek construction company Casta a.s. for their long-term financial and material support of the Association of the Families and Friends of Children with Handicaps in the Czech Republic, the Krteček Club in Písek, and for their support of other non-profit organizations and projects in the region.

The VIA Bona Award in the category of Innovative Projects was given to the firm ECE Projektmanagement G.m.b. H & Co. KG for their support of the Brno-based Vaňkovka Civic Association. This support consists of the long term rental of space in the commercial Galerie Vaňkovka for a symbolic amount, which the civic association uses for various non-commercial and educational activities.

The VIA Bona Award in the category for Individual Donors was given to MUDr. Eva Hvížďalová, who was nominated by the Litoměřice St. Štěpán Hospice and the Cesta domů Home Hospice in Prague. For the several years following her return to the Czech Republic from the United States where she lived most of her professional career, Dr. Hvížďalová has actively and generously dedicated her time and energies to improving the level of hospice care here in the Czech Republic. The breadth of her voluntary work and support has been amazing – ranging from significant financial gifts, translation of professional texts, participation in lectures and seminars for the public and after work group consultation in hospices for doctors and volunteers directly in the hospices. “We are very happy that, for the second year in a row, we have been able to acknowledge the renewal of the tradition of individual giving and philanthropy alongside the many fine examples of corporate giving. Dr. Hvížďalová is an example for us all,” said Jiří Bárta, Director of the VIA Foundation. .

The VIA Foundation Board of Directors bestowed an Honorary VIA Bona Award to Mr. and Mrs. Vašíček from California for their generous and repeated support of the renewal and preservation of Czech cultural heritage through the VIA Foundation Czech Heritage Society. Silva and Oldřich Vašíček began their support immediately following the 2002 flooding. Since this time, they have donated the very generous amount of 35,000 USD towards the renovation and preservation of historical monuments in the Czech Republic

Mrs. Marie Šenfeldová, Mr. Luďěk Zýka, Mr. Milan Havránek and Mr. Čeněk Zlatohlávek were awarded honorary mentions for their unstinting and dedicated work during the systematic renovation of the church in Horní Ročov. All were nominated by the Association for the Preservation of the Church in Ročov (Spolek pro záchranu kostela v Ročově).

An honorary mention was also given to the company Connex Morava, a.s. This bus service transport company was nominated by the Olomouc Trend of Wheelchair Users Association and acknowledged for their helpful and outstanding service to people with handicaps and for the introduction of inter-city links for the handicapped in wheelchairs on the Přerov–Olomouc–Prostějov route.

The members of the VIA Bona Awards selection committee are: Igor Blaževič from The People in Need, Daniel Köppl from Marketing & Media, Andrea Machálková from Citigroup a.s, Václav Marhoul from Silver Screen, Tomáš Němeček from the newspaper Hospodářské noviny, Luďka Raimondová from Asociation of PR agencies, Vladimír Bystrov from Bison and Rose and Lenka Surotchak from the Pontis Foundation.