The priceless smile of a child

Even though business is more associated with making money than giving it away, it does not have to be selfish. The list of companies cooperating with different foundations and charitable organisations is growing longer by the day. More and more companies are becoming aware of the important role they play in society. This is why they are implementing responsible business and sustainable development programmes. More importantly, these activities are increasingly related to an actual concern and interest in the people around them, rather than just promoting a brand. "Despite the fact that we still obtain most of our funds from campaigns involving transfers of 1 pct of donors' income tax to charity, the number of companies sponsoring dreams has been increasing. However, this is still not enough. We would like to encourage enterprises to actively cooperate with us," says Karolina Adamska, the vice-president of the I Have a Dream Foundation. The easiest way is a donation of money to help fulfil the dreams of a sick child, e.g. during annual collections. "We have chosen this form of cooperation because the collected funds are entirely used to make sick children happy and their dreams come true. The foundation is aimed at bringing joy to child patients - and this is the other main factor, after the actual treatment, that makes it possible for them to get well quickly," comments Katarzyna Matejuk, who is responsible for the organisation of the Eurobuild Awards Gala 2012.

To be kind-hearted
Last year the I Have a Dream Foundation turned the dreams of seven seriously ill children into reality thanks to the generosity of the guests of the Eurobuild Awards Gala 2011. Each of them received laptops. When the volunteers bearing the gifts knocked on their doors, none of could contain their joy. One of the children was Krystian from Lublin. "Our visit overawed the boy a little, particularly since he had been waiting for us since noon! We chatted for a while, but Krystian was impatient to open his present. When he was finally sat in front of the keyboard, everything else ceased to matter," remembers Ola, a volunteer from the I Have a Dream Foundation. The visit to the home of Karolinka from Kraków - another child whose dream was realised thanks to the Eurobuild Awards guests - was also a joyful occasion. Gosia and Marzena, who presented the gift to her, told us what happened: "A shy smile appeared on Karolinka's face when she saw us. She just couldn't wait for us to unpack everything. The girl was so moved that she couldn't even speak, she was just looking at it all with her bright eyes." It was a similar story with each of the other kids. (Reports of the gift-giving can be read on the mammarzenie.org website). This shows how little is needed to make another person happy sometimes, and is what the ambassador of the Foundation, famous actress Małgorzata Kożuchowska, is dedicated to achieving. For her helping is not limited to participation in social campaigns and representing the foundation in the media, but also includes personal involvement in fulfilling the dreams of sick children. "Someone once said that the true value of a person lies in how much of themselves they can give to other people. So the most important attribute is empathy, and money should only be a means to an end. The Foundation persuades sponsors to give the presents personally. It's like a health injection, not only for the children but also for the donors," comments Małgorzata Kożuchowska. Supporting the idea of the Foundation does not need to be connected with spending money. "We encourage people who approach us to participate in fulfilling a given dream personally. Each dream is different and each requires a different kind of help. Of course donating money is the simplest way but you need to participate in giving in order to enjoy it. A good solution, including for the companies participating as well, is for an employee to volunteer to fulfil the dream of one particular child, that is, to organise and prepare the whole event. Even passive participation is an opportunity for a sponsor to see what the money is used for and, most importantly, to sense the enormous joy of the other person," adds Karolina Adamska.

This year's opportunity
Those who did not have the chance to join Eurobuild's charity campaign last year will be able to support the foundation at the Eurobuild Awards Gala 2012. At last year's event the money was collected by volunteers from the foundation. Companies also donated money directly into the I Have a Dream Foundation's account, which can be done by giving the name of the transfer as ?Eurobuild Awards 2011'. "We would like to repeat the initiative this year. It did a lot of good and showed that our guests were kind-hearted. Thanks to these gestures we managed to make a few children happy. We are grateful to all those who joined the campaign. We hope that we will be able to make more dreams come true after the 2012 Eurobuild Awards Gala," adds Katarzyna Matejuk. ?

To dream is to live
The I Have a Dream Foundation (mammarzenie.org) was established in Kraków in 2003 as an initiative of Piotr Piwowarczyk, its founder. It is an independent and autonomous organisation and strictly voluntary in nature. Since 2007 it has been operating across Poland and now has 16 branches: in Białystok, Bydgoszcz, Gorzów Wielkopolski, Katowice, Kielce, Kraków, Lublin, Łódź, Olsztyn, Opole, Poznań, Rzeszów, Szczecin, the TriCity, Warsaw and Wrocław. Since its inception the company has fulfilled the dreams of over 3,000 sick children. Any child aged between 3 and 18 suffering from a life-threatening disease can qualify for the programme. All the employees of the I Have a Dream Foundation are volunteers who do not receive any remuneration for their work. Donations can be paid into bank account no. 26 1050 1445 1000 0022 7647 0461, with the address: ul. Św. Krzyża 7, 31-028 Kraków, giving ?Eurobuild Awards Gala 2012' as the title of the transfer.

Thank you!
We would like to express our gratitude for the financial support given to the I Have a Dream Foundation from all the companies generous enough to donate money into its account: Elektromechanika Import-Eksport, Uni-Krak, RR Donnelley, PUT Raba II, Karmar, Agmet, Koszalińskie Przedsiębiorstwo Budownictwa Przemysłowego Przemysłówka, Budimex, Most, Hochtief Polska, CB Panel System, Siac Construction/Hydrobudowa, Aedes, Ekomel, Rosa-Bud, Nieporęcka, Unibep, Polimex-Mostostal, Mota-Engil Central Europe, Rex-bud, AMP Polska, SGI Baltis, Inter-bud, Piec-bud, Kronopol, Warbud, Mega, Inter System, Dom-mus, Skanska, Restauracja Hotel u Czwarnów and Eiffage Budownictwo Mitex.