The 2024 volunteer season kicked off with great momentum! Four departments from KBC Global Services organized extensive volunteer campaigns to support our longstanding partnership with the Dobrich Zoo (Nature and Animal Conservation Center), Vinitsa Medical and Social care Center, Aladzha Monastery, Louis Braille School, which caters to children with visual impairments, as well as local kindergartens with cleaning, painting, organizing, revitalizing and building activities.

This season also introduced initiatives with new partners: “Karin Dom” received support through a workshop in preparation of various items for their upcoming campaigns; A dedicated group of seven colleagues collaborated with the “Bulgarian Red Cross” team to unload an impressive 14 tons of goods; Volunteers from two groups assisted “Rodni Balkani” in renewing the green markings along the eco trails in the Varna area.

"Volunteerism is the voice of the people put into action. These actions shape and mold the present into a future of which we can all be proud of.”

Helen Dyer

CHARITY BRUNCH AND BULGARIAN RED CROSS DONATION

Apart from our regular Bottle caps and coins release and aluminum cans collection, Team Blue contributed to several charity activities during this quarter. Our team in IT Hub hosted a heartwarming charity brunch to show support for out colleague Viky de Ridder and little Kaloyana Encheva as they bravely face health challenges. Colleagues came together to prepare a delightful array of snacks and sweets, infusing our day with delicious moments while extending a helping hand to those in need. The event gathered a total amount of 2686 BGN which were evenly distributed to both recipients. In a separate initiative, we utilized 250 BGN worth of unused food vouchers to procure essential food supplies, which were donated to the Bulgarian Red Cross, extending our support to the community.

ALL-CHILDREN DONATION CAMPAIGN

In another impactful initiative during the month of May, we rallied over 90 colleagues for a children-items donation drive in support of Burgas’ Community Support Center. Thanks to our people's generosity, a busload of items, including bicycles, trolleys, toys, books, children’s clothes, and quilts, was delivered to the center ahead of Children’s Day.

We were honored to welcome the center’s director, Maria Atanasova, to our office as a token of appreciation for our collective contribution. Our interaction provided a valuable opportunity to learn more about the center’s initiatives and explore avenues for future collaboration. This encounter has set the stage for a potentially impactful partnership that holds promise for creating lasting change in our community.

  • BURGAS COMMUNITY SUPPORT CENTER

    The organization is a center ensuring conditions for the provision of care for the most vulnerable among us - children and young people placed in social institutions, people with disabilities and with the need for permanent medical care. You can find more about the center here.

AUTISM AWARENESS

We deeply believe that promoting inclusiveness and diversity within our workplace is one of the best ways to foster an open-minded, global company culture, helping our company to better understand colleagues, clients and customers around the world.

The Second quarter of the year was strewed with initiatives and events. On 2 April we recognized the World Autism Awareness Day by wearing our favorite blue clothes (the primary color designated for autism) to demonstrate our support and raise autism awareness in a meaningful way to positively influence everyone we met.

  • BLOOD DONATION CAMPAIGN

    In the CSR+ we care for people and our environment, and we share the drive to leave a positive impact on hearts, life and everything around us. Under the Share & Care umbrella, we had a second blood donation campaign in Varna on the 20 May 2024, once again, in partnership with the Regional Centre of Transfusion Hematology Varna.

     

The partnership with the Center is thriving and we are thrilled to announce that KBC Global Services was honored as a new organization contributing to blood donation at a special ceremony held on 14 June in celebration of the World Voluntary and Unpaid Blood donor day!

EUROPEAN DIVERSITY MONTN

In celebration of European Diversity month we rolled out a series of informational materials focused on raising awareness about the significance of diversity & inclusion in the workplace. We delved into various topics and our exploration revealed that our biases, whether conscious or unconscious, impact our professional lives and interaction with colleagues. 

  • In the last week of the month, we curated a collection of 18 inspiring stories showcasing individuals who, despite facing diverse challenges, achieved remarkable success in the business and corporate world. The exhibition demonstrated that barriers such as disabilities, being part of a minority group, gender, age, or visual differences do not impede a determined mind from achieving success.

GENERATIONAL DIVERSITY TRAINING

On 11 June, we hosted a customized onsite training on ‘Age Diversity’ with U Matter’s Zlatina Kusheva. The training garnered exceptionally positive feedback from a full group of participants among our colleagues. Building upon the knowledge gained during last year’s Group Diversity Day, we delved deeper into understanding generational differences. Together, we explored strategies for fostering collaboration and resilience across labels such as Gen Z, Baby Boomers, and Millennials.

SUSTAINABILITY

  • The sustainability focus for this quarter centered around awareness. We emphasized the significance of a seriеs of globally recognized days, starting from the Earth celebration on 22 April through the International day of biodiversity (22 May), World bee day (20 May), World environmental day (5 June) to the world of recycling (17 May) and gastronomy (18 June) – a full sustainable journey. What ties all these days together?

It all boils down to us being the first generation capable to understanding the impact of humankind on our planet and the first generation able to consciously work towards restoring our diverse ecosystems. Generation Restoration is a key inspiration for us at the sustainability working group and we’ve selected biodiversity as the primary focus of work for 2024.

Here at Team Blue, we understand that Generation Restoration begins with each of us and we’re already taking actions supporting the local biodiversity and Bringing back the Buzzz by adopting four beehives from “Istinski Med”. Stay tuned for exciting initiatives and events on the horizon! #BringBackTheBuzzz.

SPORTS COMMUNITY

Are you ready for an exciting and active summer on the football, volleyball and basketball fields? In May, the Sports Community was really busy, igniting the competitive spirit among us! And we have already participated in a total of 4 marathons!

VARNA & SOFIA BUSINESS RUNS

With a total of 9 teams, each comprising 4 members, we proudly secured a spot in the Top10 at the Varna Business Run on 9 June. Congratulations to all colleagues that dared to challenge themselves and proudly represent Team Blue! Hats down to our fastest runner for the marathon – Rosen Parushev that nailed 54:09 on a 10km run! 

This event not only promotes physical activity and teamwork but also contributes to a noble cause by donating 30% of the registration fees to Karin Dom.

In a record-breaking year with over 1500 participants two KBC teams showcased their skills at the Sofia Business Run’s 2024 relay event. Notably, 30% of the event’s proceedings will be contributed to Trotoara 2020 Community Centre, as well as the Foundation "FOR OUR CHILDREN," which advocates for the most vulnerable children and their family environment.

  • BRUSSELS 20 KM RUN

    Have you ever wondered how inspiration looks like in action? Picture an astonishing 45 530 participants running a 20-kilometer marathon on a cloudy day. Let’s fast forward to Brussel’s 44-year old tradition, the 20km de/door Brussels 2024, which brings together over 140 nationalities and people from diverse backgrounds united by their passion for sports.

KBC Group proudly sponsors this remarkable event, which raised over 2.5 million euros this year. Impressive, isn’t it? We were incredibly proud to be represented by Bilyana Ssenyange who bravely stepped up for her husband Ismail and joined the massive wave of participants. 

BOOKVAR (Book Club)

  • COOK THE BOOK BAZAR

    The BookVar club commenced the new season with a triple-set events, starting off with a marvelous “Cook the Book” bazaar on 23 April. Our talented colleagues showcased their culinary skills by preparing famous recipes inspired by beloved literary works.

Intrigued by the tempting spread, we were whisked away on a whimsical journey akin to Alice in Wonderland, indulging in treats such as Peter Rabbit’s candies, Red Riding Hood’s confections, World of warcraft cake, and a host of other delights that tantalized our taste buds. A happy day at the office it was!

"THE BIG 10" QUIZ

Following, a thrilling event took place on 21 May with “The Big 10” Bulgarian-themed quiz. More than 10 teams engaged in a battle, testing their knowledge on a range of all-Bulgarian topics. An evening filled with smiles and friendly competition, but in the end, there could be only one winner. Congratulations to team “Високи сини планини” on their victory!

KIDS LIBRARY OPENING

Together, the events raised a total amount of 913 BGN, which was utilized to purchase a wonderful selection of recommended books for our very first children’s library that opened on 26 June, accompanied by Karin Dom’s charity children art exhibition „Sea foam tales