COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP DAY - 300 HOURS OF VOLUNTEER WORK

Ljubljana, Thursday, 19 September 2019 – Colleagues of the SIJ Group rolled up their sleeves in their local environments in Jesenice, Ravne na Koroškem, and Ljubljana, as part of the second Community Partnership Day under the slogan “Bonds of steel between us”. 147 volunteers donated over 300 work hours of volunteer work. For cleaner, nicer, and more connected local communities in Jesenice, Ravne na Koroškem, and Ljubljana, they donated a part of their work day for volunteering in different activities.


Yesterday in the early afternoon, colleagues of the SIJ Group contributed to their surroundings and the people they live with, as part of the second annual Community Partnership Day. They also teamed up with athletes from the clubs that they support in Carinthia and Upper Carniola. The drive took place with the motto “Bonds of steel between us”, and further strengthened the ties to the local communities. The day was spent in a relaxed atmosphere of friendship, and there were a lot of smiles and good vibes going around.

In Ravne na Koroškem, primary schoolers of the school for kids with special needs Juričev Drejček prepared a sports-themed picnic, which included games with the athletes of the Fužinar swimming club, Fužinar footbal club, and Fužinar volleyball club. Kids and the volunteers, which included Managing Directors of the Carinthian companies – Viljem Pečnik of SIJ Ravne Systems, and Alenka Stres of SIJ ZIP center – also built bug hotels and gave each one a unique paint job. Working together, the volunteers and patrons of the centre for adults with special needs (VZD) Ravne na Koroškem felt their connection and humanity. At the Fara senior citizens home, SIJ’s volunteers played a game called the hidden guest, and presented the job of steel maker through a quiz, while two other teams painted the guard rails along walk paths in Brdinje and Kotlje. Viljem Pečnik, the Managing Director of SIJ Ravne Systems commented on the occasion, saying, “We are aware that support from the local community is crucial to our operations, so we maintain close bonds throughout the year, and today’s drive is a special way of showing our gratitude to the community. With our hearts in the right place, we included a team of 72 volunteers in four different activities. The team is made up of employees of the companies SIJ Ravne Systems, SIJ Metal Ravne and SIJ ZIP center, and the athletes from the clubs sponsored by the SIJ Group companies working in Ravne na Koroškem. We really felt the good energy flowing through us and connecting us even more through today’s get-together and work.”


In Jesenice, the majority of volunteers gathered at the Koroška Bela primary school, and even the Managing Directors of the companies SIJ Acroni, mag. Branko Žerdoner, and SIJ Elektrode Jesenice, Guiseppe Lombardi, showed their skills in handling paintbrushes. Together with the school’s employees and the hockey players of HDD SIJ Acroni Jesenice, they tidied up the school foyer, painted the plinth, the pillars of the basketball backboards, and guard rails, which will make the school an even more pleasant place to be for the pupils at the beginning of the school year. The other group of volunteers got creative together with the children from the Društvo Žarek association for helping children in distress. A group of volunteers headed by Andrej Pogačnik, the Managing Director of the company SIJ SUZ, once again visited the inhabitants of the Dr. Franc Bergelj senior citizens home, where they made pancakes and played boardgames together. Another group of volunteers helped the fire-fighters of the Jesenice voluntary fire brigade clean up and tidy their headquarters, and the fire-fighters showed their gratitude by organising them a picnic. Mag. Branko Žerdoner, the Managing Director of SIJ Acroni, who took part in the drive as a volunteer at the Koroška Bela primary school, was happy with the work they had done and the positive energy, commenting, “We at SIJ Acroni are aware of our roots and our responsibility to the environment to which we belong. We sincerely try to contribute to the quality of our life with the people around us. I am happy that my colleagues were so willing to volunteer and that we can contribute in different ways to a better life in our town and to the people living here feeling better. 62 volunteers took part today in Jesenice in the Day of cooperation with the local community, including employees of the companies SIJ Acroni, SIJ Elektrode Jesenice, and SIJ SUZ, and our hockey players of HDD SIJ Acroni Jesenice. I was especially happy to see the large participation and the wish of my colleagues to help tidy up the Koroška Bela primary school. These are our next-door neighbours, dear friends and partners, with whom we continually work together in different areas, and the pupils at the school are our future employees.”


At the Janez Levec Work and Employment Center in Ljubljana, SIJ Group co-workers teamed up with the patrons and grabbed some gardening equipment, and used cooperation and a team spirit to tidy up the park next to their building
The SIJ Group is closely connected to the environment where its companies operate. They are aware that they could not operate without the support from the local environment and good relations with the people of Jesenice, Ravne na Koroškem, and their surrounding towns and villages. With today’s get-together, they added the final touch to their regular cooperation and mutual support, ensuring that their bonds will remain as strong as steel. In the first two years of the Community Partnership Day, the SIJ Group has donated over 600 work hours in Jesenice, Ravne na Koroškem, and Ljubljana, with over 300 volunteers taking part in the drives at the three locations.


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The SIJ Group is the largest Slovenian vertically-integrated metallurgical group, and works according to the principles of circular economy, occupying leading market positions in European and global niche steel markets. The SIJ Group is one of Slovenia’s largest exporters and is considered a pillar of employment in Jesenice and Ravne na Koroškem.

Additional information:
SIJ – Slovenska industrija jekla, d.d., Ljubljana
Mag. Sara Wagner, Head of Corporate Communications
Telephone: +386 1 242 98 27
Mobile: +386 1 41 313 532
E-mail: sara.wagner@sij.si