Mechanika staff's gift to little oncology patients

The bonus of 239 904 SKK for two million injury-free hours which the employees of Mechanika Division achieved between May 2005 and May 2007 has been dedicated to health-care. The funds have been used to buy three infusion machines with accessories, which were presented last Friday, December 14th, to the President of the Children's Oncology Society in Kosice and Head of the Children's Oncology and Hematology Department at the University Children's Hospital in Kosice Irina Oravkinova by Mechanika Division Director Jan Vatascin, employees' representative Benno Stařicny and junction repair supervisor Jaroslav Hazlinsky.

Three get full employment contracts

Milan Balog from the village of Velka Ida, Tibor Cisar from city ward Kosice-Saca and Stanislav Diro from Kosice neighborhood Lunik IX, three of the successful participants in the oxygen-cutting course prepared by U. S. Steel Kosice for 23 adepts from the group taking part in the special Roma employment project in cooperation with the Metallurgical Vocational School, signed full employment contracts on Thursday of last week, December 13th, with USSK subsidiary Vulkmont, a.s. Kosice, represented by CEO Patrik Ivanisin.
The official ending of the course, which began on November 7th this year, and the signing of the employment contracts were of course witnessed by U. S. Steel Kosice President David H. Lohr, together with Vice-president Human Resources Martin Pitorak. "A very important aspect of this program," said David Lohr, shortly before presenting the course completion certificates and seeing the employment contracts signed, "is that young people are not only getting the chance to improve their education and gain new job opportunities, but they can also become examples for other people in their communities."

"This will be the most beautiful Christmasfor our children"

The wife of the President of U. S. Steel Kosice, Susan Lohr, together with the wife of the Vice-president Management Services and Administration, Maria Kiralvargova, and the wife of the former General Manager Marketing and Strategic Planning, Laura Cowell, have brought a lot of pleasure in recent days with Christmas gifts for the children in foster homes in the Spis region, in Presov and Medzilaborce.
The green, four-storey building of the Spisske Vlachy Foster Home welcomed us with Christmas decorations in the windows. There are 71 children living in the home. The sleepy silence was only broken here and there by a curious head peeping out of the windows and muffled squeaking from behind the doors of the rooms. "The children are very excited and they just can't wait," said Principal Blanka Vargova, welcoming us. "They've never had gifts like these before. They're very happy. Our thanks go to all the steelmakers," she added. There was also a touching meeting with the little residents of the Spisska Bela Foster Home, where 35 children live. The youngest is two months old and the oldest is thirteen years old.
"I reckon this'll be the most beautiful Christmas ever for our children. They haven't had one like this before," said supervisor Maria emotionally. "This is my third year here, and I just can't imagine Christmas Eve without our children. At home we sit down to Christmas dinner only after I've had mine with 'my' children in the home. It's beautiful. I want to be with them," she added.

Human to human

Being a voluntary blood donor has a strong tradition among the steelmakers, and this was evident at last week's award presentations to multiple donors on Tuesday, December 11th, in the Ceremonial Hall of city ward Kosice - Old Town. The majority of the 70 or so people receiving awards was made up precisely of U. S. Steel Kosice employees. Becoming the holder of a diamond plaque, Gabriel Bidovsky from subsidiary Obal-Servis, a.s. Kosice, who works as a crane operator in the Cold Strip Mill, said: "I've been a regular blood donor for twenty years. I was moved to do it by something sad that happened at work. A colleague had leukemia and we wanted to help, so we all went and gave blood together. Unfortunately it didn't help, but since then I've been going regularly. It gives me a good feeling inside."