The devastating tornado raged in Moravia for only several minutes on 24 June but left immense damage that will take months or years to remedy and repair.  ČEZ firefighters immediately set out to help at the scene and the ČEZ Foundation released emergency aid of CZK 10 million.  Subsequently, the ČEZ Foundation also launched an extraordinary fundraiser among employees.  Money from the collection will go to local organisations and associations: volunteer firefighters, scouts, children clubs, but also to the Hodonín Zoo and animal shelter, or kindergarten and primary school in the village of Hrušky.  The money has just started to arrive in the respective accounts in recent days.

Many present and former ČEZ employees or their families work and live in the afflicted region. The empathy of workers in the energy sector is renowned, which is why a half of the financial aid will goes out to these families, as well. 

“We have long promoted the motto that ČEZ wants to be a good neighbour.  And a good neighbour helps not only when times are good, but also when they’re not.  The firefighters from our power plants helped remedy the most serious damage immediately after the disaster, and a number of employees signed up as volunteers for the subsequent clean-up. In June, we released CZK 10 million from the ČEZ Foundation for immediate emergency assistance in the five most seriously affected villages.  Now we will dispense funds from our employees who have decided to support their colleagues and their families.  I am proud that ČEZ energy-sector workers again showed that their hearts are in the right place,” says CEO Daniel Beneš.

The specific needs of individual beneficiaries from among ČEZ Group employees and their families and loved ones, retired employees, and local organisations were surveyed on site by people from the ČEZ Foundation.  They helped them fill in applications and specify their financial requirements.  Those ranged from minor amounts for fence repair, new paint, or the purchase of electric appliances, to hundreds of thousands of crowns for complex repair of damaged houses and other buildings.

“We know that many of our employees have contributed to the various public collections that were organised by other subjects.  We appreciate all the more that they have decided to participate in our project and help specific colleagues and their loved ones.  Thanks to the personal commitment of the people of the ČEZ Foundation, we were able to deal with all the paperwork smoothly in just a few weeks, which is also important for the beneficiaries.  I must say that the very fact that colleagues contributed to colleagues was a great boost for many of the people affected,” adds Michaela Ziková, Director of the ČEZ Foundation.

The largest single contribution, CZK 700,000, will go towards the renovation of the interior of the kindergarten and primary school in Hrušky.  The collection will also support a Therapy Line, which provides free psychotherapeutic assistance to people affected by the tornado, and the Federation of Food Banks.  The Federation will buy food and basic toiletries, both for the affected households and the volunteers who are still helping on site.