Traditionally, on the eve of St. Nicholas, on December 5, Košice's fairy-tale Christmas began. The crowded Main Street enjoyed the opening program, the arrival of St. Nicholas and the concert of Peter Cmorík.

The mayor of the city, Jaroslav Polaček, and the vice-president of U. S. Steel  Košice, Miroslav Kiraľvarga, wished the people of Košice and the company's employees a peaceful and happy holiday. "Christmas is a holiday of peace and family. I would therefore like to wish all of us, not only in Košice, but also in Slovakia and East of us, that peace reigns, so that everyone can enjoy together, in the family circle," said Miroslav Kiraľvarga.

After lighting the tree, Marián Hanečák, an employee of our company, joined Miroslav Kiraľvarga on the stage and together they handed over a symbolic check to the director of the Archdiocesan Charity, Cyril Korpesio. The resulting amount consists of contributions from employees who participated in the traditional pre-Christmas fundraising and the U. S. Steel Košice Foundation.

"As every year, this year we have encouraged our employees to support families in need. We have a very good cooperation with the Archdiocesan Charity, so we put a cheque worth a total of 30,000 euros in its hands," said Miroslav Kiraľvarga.

"I want to thank very much the employees and the U. S. Steel Košice Foundation who raised such a wonderful amount. We help our clients who suffer in difficult social, health and other conditions, are homeless or are lonely seniors. So we are passing this money on to those who need help most.  And this amount will definitely please and help many people," thanked Cyril Korpesio.

Photo by Ján Kisucký