Košice, December 4, 2017 – The Christmas Charity Hut of U. S. Steel Košice has been a part of the Christmas Market on Hlavná Street for twelve years. From December 5th to 22nd the steelmaking company will be giving an opportunity to eighteen non-profit organizations to present their activities to the general public, and assisting with public fund-raising towards their further development. The organizations involved will be local foster homes, civic associations for disabled children and adults, as well as medical and educational institutions. A unique story stands behind each of these bodies, as well as hundreds of hours worked and hundreds of children or adults who have got help. All these organizations will appreciate the interest and support of Košice residents and visitors. The hut will be open every day from 10 am till 8 pm, staffed by volunteers - Company employees and scholarship holders.

For a long-time U. S. Steel Košice has also paid special attention to foster homes in Eastern Slovakia. Steelmakers are helping again to fulfil children’s desires through the Wishing Trees, which have been located within the Company premises in this pre-Christmas time.  They have taken 157 cards with children’s wishes and bought presents for the children in St. Klement Hofbauer Foster Home in Podolínec and Uralská Street Foster Home in Košice, as well as for young adults in the Halfway Houses in Medzilaborce and Košice. The dreams of children in steelmakers’ families experiencing difficult circumstances have also been fulfilled. The Company and the employees’ colleagues express their solidarity through the We Are With You At The Right Time project. Apart from the gifts and financial help amounting to 39 000 euros, the recipients mainly appreciate the interest in their lives and the experiences from many corporate events which they are invited to enjoy during the whole year, and which also help them to cope in hard times.

“Christmas is a special holiday when we meet our families and give thanks for the gifts we have got from life. This is also a time to think about other people who are not so happy, and help to move their lives forward. Thanks to the everyday hard work of our employees our company is successful and able to help in the region during the whole year. Our devoted people and their open hearts are behind every noble deed,” says U. S. Steel Košice President Scott Buckiso.

The fund-raising for some local health-care institutions during the pre-Christmas period has become another traditional charity activity of the Košice steelmakers. This time they are helping to get quality digital x-ray equipment for the East Slovakian Oncology Institute to enable quicker diagnostics of cancer diseases. During the last few years the steelmakers have collected hundreds of thousands of euros for new positionable electrical beds and ultrasound equipment for the University Children’s Hospital, or special equipment for the Louis Pasteur University Hospital, the East Slovakian Institute for Cardio-vascular Diseases, and other health-care institutions with regional responsibility. A symbolic check with the collected sum will be presented to the East Slovakian Oncology Institute by an employee representative at the Christmas Charity Concert, where the charity activities of U. S. Steel Košice usually culminate every year. The concert, at which Kristína, Berco Balogh, Pavol Habera will be among the performing artists, will be held on December 15th, 2017 in the Košice State Theatre, and highlights of the concert will also be broadcast by RTVS on December 22nd at 5.30 pm on Channel 2. The steelmakers will also donate the proceeds from the concert ticket sales to the ArtEst non-profit organization, which provides art education to disabled young people.

For further information contact:

Ján Bača
U. S. Steel Košice
Phone: +421 55 673 4476
E-mail: jbaca@sk.uss.com

Everybody can join us in helping the following organizations in the Christmas Hut on Hlavná Street from December 5 to December 22, 2017, 10AM-8PM

December 5, 2017    ArtEst – Esthetic Education of Disabled Youth, Košice 

December 6, 2017    Smile At Me Civic Association, Košice 

December 7, 2017    League Against Cancer, Košice branch  

December 8, 2017    Regina Social House, Kráľovce  

December 9, 2017    Re-education Centre, Bankov, Košice  

December 10, 2017  Uralská Street Foster Home, Košice

December 11, 2017  The Chance, Non-profit organization, Košice  

December 12, 2017   St. Klement Hofbauer Foster Home in Podolínec

December 13, 2017   Technical University of Košice, Faculty of Materials, Metallurgy and Recycling

December 14, 2017   Psychosocial Center, Löfflerova St., Košice

December 15, 2017   Happiness - Association of Relatives & Friends in Košice

December 16, 2017   Association of Mutual Help of People and Dogs, Košice

December 17, 2017   Slovak Union for the Blind and Partially Sighted, Košice branch  

December 18, 2017   ETP Slovakia - Centre for Sustainable Development, Košice

December 19, 2017   Archdiocesan Charity Košice

December 20, 2017   Elementary Arts School – Painting Section, Kováčska St., Košice

December 21, 2017   Rubikon Autistic Centre, Košice

December 22, 2017   Forrest Gump Club, Košice