23.3.2010
Ostrava, March 23, 2010. Evraz Charity Fund invited handicapped children and their parents and teachers to meet the players of ice-hockey team HC Vitkovice Steel. Children had the unique possibility to see a closed training session of HC Vitkovice Steel players in CEZ Arena. Children also enjoyed meeting the players and prepared entertainment.
Evraz Charity Fund, which was founded by EVRAZ VÍTKOVICE STEEL, a.s. invited children from selected non-profit organizations based in Ostrava: Elementary School in Ostrava-Poruba taking care of children with cerebral palsy and autism, Association of parents and friends of handicapped children in the Czech Republic - Stonozka Centre, and Elementary school Specialni diakonie ČCE Ostrava.
Children spent the morning watching the practise of hockey players, had joint photos taken to commemorate the special day, and also met some of the players during lunchtime in CEZ Hockey Arena. The day was accompanied by Clown Hopsalin connecting all the children with different forms of disabilities. Children were also given hockey themed presents both from the Evraz Charity Fund and the hockey club HC Vitkovice Steel. "We are glad that the children enjoyed this day with Ostrava hockey team as most of them visited this type of environment for the first time in their lives. It is a great way to interconnect the activities of Evraz Charity Fund, which we founded, with our sponsorship activities in Ostrava hockey," says Zbynek Kvapik, MBA, Chairman of the Board of Evraz Charity Fund and CEO of EVRAZ VÍTKOVICE STEEL, a.s. He also added that EVS would like to continue with these activities in the near future.
The visit of handicapped children at the hockey arena organised by the Evraz Charity Fund complements its support of non-profit organizations which help the handicapped children and young people especially suffering from cerebral palsy. The event was organised based on the consultations with specialists from these organizations who point out the necessity of integration of handicapped children to the society and the need of new incentives for the children.
Evraz Charity Fund was established in 2006 with the purpose of supporting the long-term development of the Moravian Silesian Region, with emphasis on the areas of social life, culture, science, education, sports and business environment. Evraz Charity Fund was founded by EVRAZ VÍTKOVICE STEEL, a.s. In 2009 the Fund supported 34 organisations from the Moravian-Silesian region with a total of 8.9 million CZK.
For more information please contact:
Jaromír Krišica, press spokesman
EVRAZ VÍTKOVICE STEEL, a.s.
+420 603 543 572
krisica@crestcom.cz
EVRAZ VÍTKOVICE STEEL concentrates on the production of steel and steel products - heavy plates, heavy and medium sections, and flame-cut shapes from heavy plates. The company aims to continue increasing the sales of its products with high added value, such as deliveries of plates for pipelines. Thanks to the important support of the Evraz Group and its strong position on the Russian steel market the company has also successfully entered the Russian market of the pipeline industry. In the sphere of heavy plates EVRAZ VÍTKOVICE STEEL is the main European manufacturer and the only manufacturer in the Czech Republic. Within the section production the most important product is sheet piles which represent a 75 % share of the mill's production. The company is the sole manufacturer of this product on the domestic market and holds a 90% market share.
Evraz Group S.A. is a large vertically-integrated steel, mining and vanadium business with operations in the Russian Federation, Ukraine, Europe, USA, Canada and South Africa. The Company is currently ranked the 15th largest steel producer in the world. In 2009, Evraz produced 15.2 million tons of crude steel, 11.3 million tons of pig iron and 14.3 million tons of rolled products.
