Nominations are open for the 22nd annual Via Bona Awards. We’re looking for inspiring stories of giving. Do you know someone who is trying to make his or her community a better place to live? Individuals, groups, companies, others who are creating better communities? Thank them by nominating them for the Via Bona Awards and inspire others with their work!
“The theme of this year’s Via Bona Awards is inspiring communities. You can nominate people who are giving back in diverse ways. People who are helping disabled or seriously ill neighbors or trying to make relationships or an open space in the community blossom. Anyone who is making his or her community a better place to live,” said Zdeněk Mihalco, Program Director at Via Foundation.
You can nominate in five Via Bona categories: the Personal Engagement and Young Personal Engagement awards, for people giving their time, energy or money to help others; the Good Company award for companies supporting communities or entire regions; the Bequeath award for people who include good causes in their wills – and our new category, the Fundraising Drives award, which we are introducing to recognize people who succeed in drawing their friends and families into raising money for good causes.
Anyone can send in a nomination – a company, a non-profit organization, a school or individuals – through this website (in Czech): https://www.nadacevia.cz/viabona/.
“By sending in a nomination, you can thank those who are giving back and inspiring others and also show that anyone can be a philanthropist,” added Zdeněk Mihalco of Via Foundation.
Nominations will be accepted until December 16, 2018. In the spring we will open public online voting and you will have a chance to cast your ballot for the most inspiring nominees. The awards will be presented at a gala evening in May 2019, along with an “Inspiring Community” honorable mention selected from the entire pool of nominations.
About the Via Bona Awards
Via Foundation presented the first Via Bona Awards in May 1998 with the aim of renewing philanthropy traditions in the Czech Republic. Since then, over a span of 21 years, some 930 people and companies have been nominated. Via Foundation has recognized 127 of them with awards.
The 2018 Via Bona award-winners were:
Good company: Rodan Hojgr for his long-term efforts to improve the quality of life in his native Jesenik region through his company Naturfyt-BIO
Patron: Libor Malý for helping Czechs in debt and promoting a new “giving economy”
Bequeaths: Marcela Mejstříková for bequeathing her assets to Mamma HELP, a NGO helping cancer patients
Personal Engagement: Ludmila Böhmová for helping to educate young people in the Central African Republic to support their future economic independence
Young Personal Engagement: Petra Soukupová, who founded a youth orchestra that raises money for needy causes in the Broumov region
