In this series, I want to introduce my personal heroes who deserve recognition and inspire you to do right by the world, even though it sometimes feels like our efforts might not make even the smallest difference. Believe me, they all do. Happy reading! Our paths crossed with Róbert Balušík from Slovakia for the first time in 2020, when we learned about his Joystick Car project – a chance for people with physical disabilities to independently drive a car. In 2021, we supported it with a sum of 50 000 CZK. In the meantime, he enchanted us with both his humility and ambition, which is the reason I decided to include him in our People we admire series.  What is a joystick car? It is an adaptation of a car from driving with a steering wheel into driving with a joystick for physically handicapped people who cannot hold or reach the steering wheel, engine start, pedals, or other car parts. When finished, Róbert’s goal was to offer the best practices to the target group and ensure homologation in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. What’s more, he wished to lend the car to a driving school in the Czech Republic for the possibility of physically disabled people to obtain a driving license for it. Róbert Balušík set on this journey at the age of 23 and finished it in August 2022, owning and getting his own driving license for the first joystick car in Slovakia and Czechia.  Róbert is an entrepreneur who graduated in IT studies, currently working as a Strategic Projects Manager in LEAF Bratislava, focusing on uplifting start-up ecosystem in Slovakia along with providing mentoring & knowledge support for young professionals and students. Since his birth, Róbert has suffered with muscle and joint illness called arthrogryposis, but wished to lead as independent a life as possible. Arthrogryposis is a condition involving multiple joint contractures, where the range of motion of a joint is limited. It may be unable to fully or partially extend or bend.  After four years of jumping through bureaucratic, legal, financial and systematic hoops, Róbert managed to both have his car adjusted to joystick in Germany and obtain his driving license in Přelouč, Czechia. It might be very important to realize here that Róbert was willing to take the road less travelled and bring a prototype of a vehicle that will undoubtedly help thousands of people with physical disability drive a car independently. How exactly does it work? "I will control the car with a joystick. If I put my elbow on it and pull towards myself, I increase the speed. I can brake by moving it forward and as soon as I tilt the joystick to the side, the steering wheel turns. I use my voice to control the turn signals, wipers, horn, windows, engine start and air conditioning.”  Before the project got to a successful finish, Róbert had to:  - Travel to Germany to try out driving a joystick car, where he drove for five days and whopping 960 km. - Invest 2.5 million CZK to have his car adjusted. Through his own efforts, he was able to collect 30 000 EUR out of this sum with a public donation campaign. - Travel back to Germany to have his own car adjusted. The Paravan GmbH company fixed his vehicle up with a SPACE DRIVE II driving system, suitable for this purpose due to its sensitivity and convertibility.  - Find a driving instructor willing to undergo a special, 2-week training in Germany to be able to guide him through the process of obtaining his driving license. Luckily, he found an instructor in a driving school in Přelouč. Finishing this course and helping Róbert was the swan song of his career, making it a really special moment.  - And finally, travel to Czechia to obtain his driving license, the first one of its type in Slovakia and Czechia.  Watch a video of Róbert driving the car with his driving license for the first time here . What’s next? After the completion of his project, Róbert knows there is still a long journey for people with a disability to get their hands on a joystick car and a driving license to use it. The main reason is the price – the whole journey is incredibly expensive and unimaginable for a person with a regular or lower-than-regular salary. He himself didn’t, unfortunately, get any financial support from the state. Another problem is the fact that even though there exists a way to adjust a steering wheel car to a joystick one, it is still impossible to perform it in Slovakia and Czechia due to problems with safety permits and other bureaucratic obstacles. Germany remains the closest country to allow and perform this transformation. Róbert has the guts to fight for a systemic change now. The aim is to bring the best practices and the possibility of owning a joystick car and getting a license to drive it for affordable prices to people in Slovakia and Czechia. Róbert does not beat around the bush and tries to talk to and achieve change directly with the Slovak parliament.  What incredible effort and results from a young man who is simply trying to help! I highly recommend keeping an eye on his professional journey. I have a feeling we will be very surprised by his achievements in the future. Sources:  Róbert Balušík’s own photographs  hopkinsmedicine.org linkedin.com muzes.cz sarm.pluska.sk

2022 in Purple Foundation was a busy year full of changes, upgrades, wonderful projects and cooperation with our Purple team colleagues. We managed to divide an amazing sum of 3 596 483 Kč (€153 305). Wondering which projects we decided to support this year? Check them out below and send us an email to info@purple-foundation.com in case you know of any other projects worth supporting! Člověk v tísni Sum donated: 825 119 Kč (€34 359) Člověk v tísni immediately launched the largest aid campaign up to date in the Czech Republic. Their staff operate in the west and east of Ukraine, where they provide humanitarian, financial and psychological assistance. They are also providing assistance in newly liberated areas and towns, such as Kherson and Lyman. Across the country, they continue to repair houses, water systems and makeshift power supplies.  In Czechia, ČVT help refugees to integrate, find accommodation, work, school and healthcare. 450,000 refugees have arrived in the Czech Republic since the start of the war - the highest number per capita of any EU country. Find out more   here . Linka bezpečí, z.s. Sum donated: 100 000 Kč (€4 164) Linka bezpečí is a helpline for children, parents, grandparents or educators that need help but cannot or are afraid to find it in their immediate environment.  The purpose of our donation is to financially support the organization's cooperation with Czech schools in the amount of CZK 50,000 - they help them cope with the arrival of new pupils from Ukraine and their integration, which is difficult especially for them, but also for Czech children and their teachers. Another CZK 50,000 was used for the operation of the children's crisis line, which records a significant increase in serious psychological problems among children. Find out more  here . Zajíček na koni, o.p.s. Sum donated: 30 000 Kč (€1 266) Café AdAstra in Prague, a lovely eatery run by organization Zajíček na koni, o.p.s., is a café employing people with handicaps. They work in the kitchen, behind the bar and as waiting staff.  The purpose of our gift this year was to support a project helping Ukrainian refugees - in cooperation with specialized organizations, Zajíček na koni delivered lunches, dinners and other meals to families from Ukraine. Mothers and children from UA are often accommodated in temporary dormitories and accommodations without access of hot (and other) food, and the organization provided assistance with delivery.  Find out more  here . Hedepy Sum donated: 50 000 Kč (€2 082) Hedepy is a provider of online therapy sessions all over the Czech Republic.  The donated sum helped the company finance their project  of offering free online therapy to citizens of Ukraine with Ukrainian-speaking, trained therapists . They provide therapy to people in Ukraine, in refugee centers, on the front line, and in the refugees' new homes. Fun fact - hedepy is also one of the trusted businesses in our Purple Ventures portfolio! Find out more  here . Roman Pupkov Sum donated: 30 000 Kč (€1 249) Roman Pupkov is our Purple colleague from Ukraine and a wonderful human being, as well as a great example of the fact that one can help in so many ways, if we only put our mind to it. Being an avid football player, Roman decided to help ease the burden and stress of the war in Ukraine of more than 22 children and started an afternoon football group for Ukrainian boys and girls aged 6-16 in Prague - Letná. The club is meeting once a week and as far as I know, the football club is getting popular and more and more children are joining! We are happy to have been able to support him in his charity endeavour. Find out more  here . Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute Sum donated: 1 190 783 Kč (€49 586) Masarykův onkologický ústav Brno is always trying to ensure the highest possible comfort and care for their patients undergoing chemotherapy. A patient can spend 30 minutes – 8 hours on an armchair while the procedure is taking place which can be a highly uncomfortable ordeal.  We are happy to have provided 14 application chairs for chemotherapy for their new pavilion. These are equipped with 2 holders for IV poles, electric backrest and legrest, a push bar, a desk, and much more, keeping the patients nice and comfy.  Find out more  here. Canisterapeutické centrum BELA Sum donated: 36 021 Kč (€1 500) Canistherapy is a therapy with dogs, a.k.a. the dream of every person ever.  The purpose of our gift to the organization is to help provide free intervention with the assistance of dogs for families with medically disadvantaged children or for individual children with mental disorders. These interventions are either educational - dogs help children with learning disabilities, or therapeutic in combination with physiotherapy - children exercise with the assistance of a special dog. Canistherapy also helps children with autism spectrum disorder. Find out more  here . RATOLEST BRNO z.s. Sum donated: 70 000 Kč (€2 914) The purpose of our financial gift to RATOLEST is supporting the Center for Prevention and Resocialization service, dedicated to the prevention of conflicts with the law among children and adolescents. This service includes two programs - Aristotle and Change Direction, that help reduce the risk of developing socio-pathological behavior or recidivism, teach clients to actively spend their free time and take responsibility for their behaviour. Find out more  here . Člověk v tísni - Lepší škola pro všechny Sum donated: 100 000 Kč (€4 164) Lepší škola pro všechny - Better schools for everyone - is a fantastic educational program of Člověk v tísni.  The project helps children from socially disadvantaged families to successfully complete primary school or the transition from kindergarten to primary school through direct or online tutoring. Volunteers also act as a link between family and school. Convincing parents that they should support their children in learning is often just as important as the time spent on tutoring. Among other things, successful completion of elementary school will significantly increase the children's chances of getting a job as adults. Find out more  here . Café D'Astra Sum donated: 150 000 Kč (€6 328) Walking alongside the riverside of Vltava in Prague, why not get some coffee at a café that helps people with a handicap get employed! Purple Foundation is a proud supporter of Café AdAstra, a lovely eatery run by organization Zajíček na koni, o.p.s.  Café D'Astra employs 20 people with various disabilities (both physical and mental). The organization receives allowance for disabled employees, but they lack money for assistants, without whom, for example, employees with Down syndrome cannot work. The donated amount is used to cover the costs of the assistants' wages. Find out more  here . ParaCENTRUM Fenix, z. s. Sum donated: 200 000 Kč (€8 328) The organization helps spinal cord-injured (SCI) people and their families make a safe return to an active life and they have been our trusted partner organization for a long time. The purpose of our gift is to financially support the Personal Assistance service. Thanks to the help of a personal assistant, people with mobility disabilities are able to stay in their home environment without requiring constant care from their loved ones. The personal assistant takes on the job of personal care, personal hygiene, helps with food provision, maintains the client's household according to their requirements, but also accompanies them to sports or cultural activities. Find out more  here . Cesta domů, z.ú. Sum donated: 100 000 Kč (€4 164) So many people deal with the need to take care of their terminally ill relatives and loved ones and they are definitely a group of those who need help. Therefore, we decided to support the home hospice Cesta domů, z.ú. that focuses on the often taboo theme of dying. It is a group of professionals who provide education on the topic, lend the tools needed to care for the long-term sick at home and run the hospice and community center themselves.  This time, our donation helped them with publishing activities, as well as financing the salary of the head of educational programs,who is in charge of all development of education for the professionals and public. Find out more  here . SOS dětské vesničky, z.s. Sum donated: 100 000 Kč (€4 164) We are so happy   to support the amazing organization SOS Dětské vesničky!  This year, the purpose of our gift is to support their SOS Kompas social activation service for families with children, the aim of which is to prevent the breakup of families and the placement of children in institutional care. The goal of the service is to stabilize a family that is in a difficult social or material situation, so that they are able to independently manage the demands of everyday life and provide their children with an adequate environment for their all-around development and safety. Social workers help parents and children solve their adverse social situation and maintain family ties and a safe environment for raising children.  Find out more  here . Dům pro Julii, z.ú. Sum donated: 150 000 Kč (€6 246) Dům pro Julii is the first hospice for children in the Czech Republic and we have been supporting their activities for years.  The purpose of  our donation this time is a purchase of the necessary technical equipment for the organization's new office and covering  the salary of a full-time caregiver. The organization is working on the construction of a children's hospice in Brno, where experienced health professionals, caregivers, psychologists, clergymen, social workers and others will provide the best possible care during difficult times for the clients' families.  Find out more  here . ProFem, o.p.s. Sum donated: 100 000 Kč (€4 164) The purpose of this financial gift is to contribute to the construction of the first center for victims of sexual violence in Czechia. The center will provide crisis assistance, i.e. social and psychological assistance to victims, at any time of the day; there will be a crisis room for a short-term stay if the client is interested in order to provide her with a safe space for stabilization; collection and storage of samples without the need to commit in any way to use these samples in the criminal-legal resolution of the situation; and an interrogation room in case the client decides to take legal action.  Find out more  here . Společnost E Sum donated: 72 000 Kč (€2 998) An organization that has been supporting people with epilepsy since 1990 and their main goal is integrating them into society.  In 2022, we decided to support their project "People with epilepsy ease discrimination and stigma about living with epilepsy." The goal of the project is to have dozens of people with epilepsy experience less discrimination or stigmatization in their lives, The program takes place through Epizóna information portal, awareness-raising activities - discussions and webinars, and peer support in virtual groups for people with epilepsy and their relatives. Find out more  here . Společnost pro ranou péči, pobočka Brno Sum donated: 112 560 Kč (€4 687) The organization helps families with children who are born with a visual or other disability; or endangered development - the parents are then more ready and comfortable in their kids' upbringing.  The purpose of our donation is to support the provision of personnel capacity for client families, The complex work of a counselor includes regular personal consultations in the family's home approx. 4 - 6 times a year and constant support of the counselor by phone and email; professional visual stimulation of the child, etc. Find out more  here . Replug me Sum donated: 50 000 Kč (€2 082) This wonderful organization is dealing with the influence of digital technologies on the mental health, especially with young children.  Replug Me created the Digital Education in Schools program which is being piloted in South Moravia. They built the methodology on their own research and work in the field and aim to make the program a subject of the regular school curriculum. The donated amount will finance the introduction of the program to the Gajdošova elementary school in Brno (chosen by Dana as she did her teaching practice there and loved the school). Find out more  here .    Hospic sv. Alžběty o.p.s. Sum donated: 130 000 Kč (€5 413) Hospic sv. Alžběty is the only inpatient hospice in Brno, taking care of as many as 400 patients a year. In the last year, they built a respite care wing as well helping family caretakers get some much needed free time - their loved ones are taken care of there for up to 3 weeks. This time, our donation helped the facility purchase protective clothing for hospice employees and the renewal of outdated computer technology. Find out more  here. PURPLE GROUP HELPS See what we were up to in 2021 below!  Gardening with ADRA The senior home at Podpěrová in Medlánky needed some help tending to. This is where company volunteers organized by ADRA enter the game! Three of our Purple colleagues decided to spend the afternoon raking leaves, defeating insidious weeds and expanding tomato beds, cheered on by a couple of seniors enjoying the garden on a nice autumn day. We will definitely do it again in 2023! Find out more  here . Run for Hospic sv. Alžběty, Brno The run for Hospic sv. Alžběty is becoming our tradition with 3rd year successfully finished - our ladies-only Purple team managed to crush their 5.7 and 11.4 km runs like it was nobody's business!  The participants helped the hospice build and equip their new wing - it will give the hospice enough space for a daily care unit where families of terminally ill patients can place their beloved and run errands or enjoy some much-needed time off. Find out more  here. Klub svobodných matek charity collection  The club of single mothers needed help with collecting clothes and accessories for their client mothers and their children, as they had a huge influx of Ukrainian families in their organization. I want to thank our wonderful colleagues for collecting the mountain of items in the picture with me for scale.  The organization provide single-parent families with financial, material and professional legal assistance, as well as finances to ensure food and housing costs. They also pay for children's lunches in kindergartens and schools, summer camps and Christmas gifts.  Find out more  here. Vesna charity collection  If Purple Foundation organizes an event, you can be sure it has charitable intentions! After our clothes SWAP 2022 where we traded clothes, shoes & accessories over cookies and bábovka, we packed all the unchosen items up and brought them to Spolek Vesna who then sent it to Ukrainian women fleeing the war. The same thing will be done after our Purple SWAP 2023 we will make our wallets and planet Earth happy and send all the unhoused clothes to someone in need. Find out more  here . Sant Egidio charity collection  As is our yearly tradition, the Purple group have joined forces and supported Sant Egidio Community who are collecting  necessary items for homeless people, such as tinned food, hygiene items, clothes, sleeping bags, duvets, etc. This year we saw a rise of donated formal wear and bags - it is important for the people who are planning to attend interviews! Did you know that the most needed yet least donated thing in charity collections are socks?  Find out more  here . AND, OF COURSE, A HUGE THANK YOU! To our amazing Purple team. Without their hard work and dedication they show every day, none of this would be even remotely possible.  Let´s see what 2023 brings! Love,  Your Purple Foundation team D + F + J +K

In our new column, we are celebrating the unsung heroes – people in our surroundings that do good and help out without expecting anything in return. In my short four years in Purple Foundation, I have met a huge number of them – be it someone who puts effort into recycling even though no one around does; or someone who regularly donates their clothes to people in need without giving it a second thought.  In this series, I want to introduce my personal heroes who deserve recognition and inspire you to do right by the world, even though it sometimes feels like our efforts might not make even the smallest difference. Believe me, they all do. Happy reading! Roman Pupkov is our Purple colleague from Ukraine and a wonderful human being, as well as a great example of the fact that one can help in so many ways, if we only put our mind to it. Being an avid football player, Roman decided to help ease the burden and stress of the war in Ukraine of more than 22 children and started an afternoon football group for Ukrainian boys and girls aged 6-16 in Prague - Letná. The boys are meeting once a week and as far as I know, the football club is getting popular and more and more children are joining!  Roman took it upon himself not only to organize this club, but finance it as well. Everything from stadium rental fees to equipment and jerseys - not an easy task at all, if you ask me, but he does it all in a nonchalant way and with the widest smile on his face that we all love so much. Roman, thank you for being so amazing and making these kids focus on something enjoyable when everything around them feels wobbly and uncertain. If you wish to find out more about Roman’s football club or support him, find all the information here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/3107499002857064 .

What is your position in the company? I currently act as an HR sponsor, which means that I try to keep an overview of how HR works in our group of companies and consult when needed. Have you always inclined to charity and charity work? I have, at least a little bit for most of my adult life. When I couldn’t donate any money or time, me and my colleagues at least donated blood, so I think there is always a way to help. What is your role at Purple Foundation and which of our charity endeavors are currently your favourite? I have been active in my Foundation role for only a little over a year, which makes me officially the “youngest serving member” and thus I try to bring in an “outside perspective”. I do not have a specific role, but I tend to believe in helping others help themselves - giving a helping hand, so that the other can stand on their own two feet and learns to move forward without further outside help. Which area of charity work should, in your opinion, get more attention and support from the public? There are so many, but to name one, I would say physical health and stability of young people, be it children or teenagers. It’s important to learn to cope with the ever-changing world and environment we all live in. One’s personality is shaped immensely at a young age and it is harder to change one’s habits later on. What do you like to do in your free time? Apart from work that I love, I am a family person and I am grateful for any time I can spend with my family. I also find it very important and relaxing to do sports or walk in the nature. What are some of your personal goals for 2022? Aside of my constant goal which is peace, health and overall happiness of my family, these days my aim is the completion of the location where we live and are building a house. I wish that other happy families could live there and, above all, the area would be as pleasant as possible to live in. I believe that it will also have quite an impact on nature and the surrounding area. It's nice that people are slowly realizing that even houses and areas for living can be connected with nature.

In the last introduction, you told us a bit about your position in the Purple Team. I would like to ask about your journey to Purple – what were your studies focused on and how did you find out that Purple would be the best fit for you?  I have a Master's degree in Mechatronics Engineering. In the last year of my studies, I took an internship in an international corporation, but was quite unpleasantly surprised to see how people behaved to each other and I somehow lost motivation and liking not to the subject of my studies itself (that is a very interesting field!), but to the idea that I would have to work in such environment my whole life. Together with certain personal problems I was going through at the time, I decided to follow a completely different path and I stumbled upon an ad for Purple which was unique and very different from the typical job ads from the engineering area. So I tried to apply (in the beginning just for fun), but when I met several people from the company in person, I felt that this was the place. And I have not regretted my decision ever since.  Which charity endeavors are currently your favourite in Purple Foundation? My all-time favourites are Dům pro Julii , SOS Dětské vesničky , Společnost E and Společnost pro ranou péči . But, of course, all the projects we support make sense to me. Is there any charity event you attend outside of PuFo that you would like to recommend? I like the Dr Clown initiative of my home town's Trenčín foundation - its goal is to make the stay for the children who are in medical or social facilities long-term (often without a regular contact with their parents) more enjoyable by doing various theatre and fun performances, because it is said that laughter and good mood can heal and give hope to the sick. Otherwise, in general I am trying to help people around me that I know who got into trouble, be it financially or by other means. Which area of charity work should, in your opinion, get more attention and support from the public? I think that children hospice care deserves a lot more attention than it gets, however, I must say it is slowly getting better in my opinion, very much thanks to Dům pro Julii and their activities. A year ago, I was asking about your goals and plans for the next couple of months and yours were visiting a Nordic country, finish the Fjällräven Classic trek and have a beer in a beer garden. Have you managed to make any of these dreams come true? Well... I didn't manage to achieve any goals from the list except for having a beer(s) in a beer garden, but they sufficed. Seriously though, those are long-term goals and I think I have still a couple of years before I won't be able to do anything, so I believe it will happen eventually, sooner or later.  What are some of your personal goals for 2022? Based on my previous answer to this question, I would rather not set any goals for this year, since the answer next year could be the same...:)

In the last introduction, you told us a bit about your position in the Purple Team. I would like to ask about your journey to Purple – what were your studies focused on and how did you find out that Purple would be the best fit for you?  My field of study has very little to do with my current job – I studied teaching English. English language has always been my big passion, but after a couple of semesters I found teaching children too demanding. I do, however, enjoy teaching adults and from time to time I take on a student or two. Studying English also helped me in Purple – I do translations for the company and help my colleagues with any questions they might have in my famous “Lingvistické okienko.” I started in Purple as an HR Assistant, then moved on to event management for a couple of years and now work full time in Purple Foundation. It embodies everything I look for in a job – charity, creativity, socializing, event management, meeting new people and places, English, ecology, hands-on work, and much more. I truly feel it is the perfect fit for me! Which charity endeavors are currently your favourite in Purple Foundation?  Any connected with helping Ukraine which is a huge topic in our foundation these days. I am also rooting for ProFem, o.p.s. who are building the first centre for victims of sexual violence in the Czech Republic. And I know that it is very soon, but I already cannot wait for the first ever Charity Christmas market at our company’s headquarters! Is there any charity event you attend outside of PuFo that you would like to recommend?  An area very close to my heart is helping animals and animal shelters. Animals cannot express their needs, pain and hardships like we can, which is why we should focus on them all the more. I have been helping in animal shelters in Slovakia and Czechia, organized collections for them, making gift packages and toys for the dogs and cats.  If you wish to help animals, there are so many ways to do so – helping with a clean-up or taking dogs for a walk at the spot, helping organize charity shops and flea markets, donating financially, donating much needed items such as towels, nappies, food, duvets, bowls, and much more! Another way to use your talent and help support them is offering your social media, programming or photography skills – just ask at your local shelter. Get creative – once I contacted a tennis centre in Brno and they donated 150 used tennis balls for the dogs to play with. 😊 To name some of them that definitely deserve our help – Tuláčik , Veľké Kapušany , Kočičí tlapky , Tibet , etc. Which area of charity work should, in your opinion, get more attention and support from the public?  Mental health support and ensuring dignified conditions for seniors nationwide – be it in their own homes or social housing. I feel that too many of our seniors live under the poverty line and they are not granted the comfort and rest they deserve. I also feel that the current technology-oriented society is not fit for them and oftentimes they might feel confused, misunderstood and lonely. I wish to see a change in this area soon. That is why I am really happy that Purple Foundation is supporting Mezi Námi who connect seniors with kindergarten children, has supported the Ježíškova Vnoučata program and regularly donates to hospices and hospitals.  A year ago, I was asking about your goals and plans for the next couple of months and yours were I to stop shopping uncontrollably, go to nature more often, cook more often and take more dogs for walks. Have you managed to make any of these dreams come true?  I have definitely been working on my mental health – therapy, meditation, actually sitting down and taking a good hard look at my habits and relationships. It’s not always easy, but I can already see a lot of progress! 😊 I am cooking a lot more, which I am immensely proud of, the shopping sprees are, fortunately, less frequent, but the one thing that I need to work on is walking more dogs still. What are some of your personal goals for 2022?  As I am turning 30 this year, I have compiled a list of 30 things I want to do before this big birthday and I am following it religiously! Some things I have already checked are driving a tractor, trying tlačenka, visit Adamov or bake a bábovka in my own bábovka form. The biggest one is happening in only a couple of days – I am having my own art exhibition and after months of preparation, I cannot wait for the vernissage! For the rest of the year, I would like to spend more time with my family, take every possible chance to travel to a seaside and I have been flirting with the idea to learn to play the violin.