St. Barbara will help even more

OSTRAVA – The recent handover of ČSM Mine electricians’ donation for the St. Barbara Civil Association drew a clear conclusion: “We are pleased to contribute, but on the other hand, it’s true that actually we don’t fully know what “St. Barbara” does. In fact, we have noticed it just now, while seeing a photo in the “Horník” Magazine showing a nice lady accepting the money,“ agreed the guys. We believe that the guys will also be impressed by our interview with Vladislav Sobol, the St. Barbara Civil Association  Committee Chairman, about the current situation and plans of the Association.

How does the Association actually work now, shortly before the end of the year?
In June, there was a general meeting of the Association to elect its new Committee. The Committee only includes two “old warhorses” and five new members, including me. We committed to take a thorough  inventory. We knew that the money is managed well, but we wanted to find out if it would be possible to utilize it even better.

And what conclusion have you drawn?
Too much money was expended on curative and cognitive trips in which not all children and mothers could participate. On the contrary, it seemed to us that direct supports to individual children could be higher.

Does that mean that you have decided to pay out more money, for example, for children’s education?
In the very beginning, we addressed mothers, primarily through questionnaires. Consequently, a Mothers Action Committee was even established to help us with organizing individual events. We have been informed just by them about what would help the families, covered by the St. Barbara Civil Association, even more.

Where does mothers’ shoe pinch?
Children’s education costs continue to increase. It does not only include the school fees or costs of accommodation in student’s hostels; the cost range gradually becomes wider.

Are you thus going to help more?
Yes, we have prepared a new support system to be approved by the Committee by the end of the year.  Thanks to it, we will, for example, pay out to the parents of studying children new lump-sum amounts which they can use, for example, for commuting to school or purchase of teaching aids. We also plan to introduce contributions to the purchase or repairs of computers or connection to the Internet. The system will be simple and at the same time, public, and as such, all the families, covered by the St. Barbara Civil Association, will exactly know what we can help them with.

Will there be money enough for that?
Thanks to the new system, every year we will donate to the children approximately one million crowns more than up to now. We can afford to do so due to the good management of the previous Committee, which created a reserve of approximately four million Czech crowns on the account. And one thing is sure – money for our children from St. Barbara will always be found, and supports by the OKD Management and individual working parties of the mines continue to grow.

And what do you say to the view that the St. Barbara Civil Association is not heard about so much?
We will rectify the situation in the Horník Magazine. We will publish information not only on the events and trips, but also on routine supports which help the children most. However, we do not want to hold press conferences to spread it throughout the world. At present, OKD has a lot of topics to present themselves in the public. On the contrary, the care for our orphans becomes a matter of course which is not to be swaggered about.