Three years ago, Audi Hungaria launched its “It’s good to do good!” volunteering campaign, which allowed employees to join a wide range of projects by volunteering in their free time. Our employees have painted schools and kindergartens, helped renovate an animal shelter, shopped for the elderly, did outdoor and gardening work, made the lives of children in hospital brighter by reading stories to them, and passed on their knowledge to the interested parties of the local Chamber of Commerce and Industry, among others.

The timeframe of the one-month campaign soon proved to be short, and the enthusiasm and many helping hands outgrew the framework, so this year our employees can offer their help in a wide variety of activities throughout the year.

In 2023, among others, an iconic building of Győr’s Adyváros district, the “Kék Diszkont” (“Blue Discount”), was rebuilt and given a new function within the framework of the Social Day, where the “Fogadó” (“Inn”) was born from the collaboration of the Győr Homeless Assistance Service Center, the Győr Unified Health and Social Institute and the Győr Family and Child Welfare Services Center. The institution with this expressive name is unique in the country, operating as a centralized donation distribution hub in the city, where volunteers take over the donations to be distributed to those in need. To ensure that this logistical work runs smoothly, the employees of Audi Hungaria use a software developed by Audi Hungaria to organize the donations and distribute them to the social institutions according to their needs. Thus, the financial support provided by the company, the physical work and the knowledge of the employees all contributed to this niche facility, which has been functioning perfectly ever since its foundation and has remained in the hands of Audi Hungaria ever since. This year, employees in the powertrain production/vehicle drives sector supported families in need by collecting donations for the school starting season, filling the Fogadó before the bell rang with school stationery, school bags, sports clothing and formal attire, and electronic equipment. This institution is also the closest to our colleague Csilla Kóródi’s heart, and her contributive work in receiving donations, sorting them by size and season, preparing the delivery, and administrative tasks was also of great help.

“Working at the Fogadó is a special experience for me, as I see people giving donations selflessly, with a smile and a twinkle in their eyes. Volunteering is also an opportunity to connect and build our network of connections outside Audi, and to sensitize others and set an example. Every year, I take part in volunteer activities initiated by the company and I also give donations regularly. It is very important for me to pass on this spirit to my children.”

 

After last year’s success, this year’s Volunteering Day focused on sports for people with disabilities, with enthusiastic participants taking part in three different volunteer projects, supported by the company with donations.

With a beaming smile, our colleague Janka Juhász told us about the “Right to the last screw” project, where Audi employees built a mobile grandstand and renovated a gym for the Staféta Student Sports Association in Győr.

“The members of the association are all athletes with disabilities who do different sports and prepare for the Hungarian Special Olympics every year. We are very happy to help them with the mobile grandstand, the basketball backboard and the renewal of the gymnastics equipment, and hope to assist their preparation for competitions and their daily exercise in the future.”

In the Bárczi Gusztáv Kindergarten, Primary School, Skills Development School and College, also located in Győr, volunteers helped renovate the rooms used for physical education and sports activities as part of the “With Two Hands for the Young Generation” project.

“I have two children myself, and I’m glad knowing that they’re in a place where they feel comfortable and have lots of opportunities to meet new things and to grow. When I saw the project, I was immediately drawn to it. I believe that enthusiasm can make you capable of many things.” – says Veronika Lacza, who will be leading the Audi team at this venue.

In Győrszentiván, in the Molnár-Vid Bertalan sports hall, volunteers wearing yellow T-shirts were also busy helping out at the “Sport Makes You Equal” sports day for people with disabilities, organized jointly by the company and the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta.

Our colleague Anikó Csabáné Borbély, the project’s manager on the side of Audi, said that our employees were involved in the organization of the competition and in the related tasks, and they also enthusiastically took part in the team competitions.

And the enthusiasm really does continue throughout the year, with more good deeds being done in other areas in addition to these three big projects. Concerts are performed in community centers, Leon, our therapy dog and two-legged volunteers work in nursing homes, our litter-picking campaigns spruce up our environment, and some of our colleagues, such as Zoltán Takács and Gergely Hódosi, tutor students or support small and medium-sized enterprises in the region with knowledge transfer.

Zoltán Takács, who works as a production engineer, has been looking for opportunities where he can combine teaching with supporting the disadvantaged. So, when he came across the call, there was no question about whether he would apply.

“I’m studying with a 6th grade girl. Usually she brings homework that I help her with, but if she needs to prepare for a test, we look for practice exercises to solve. Beyond the knowledge she gains, these opportunities can also give encouragement and support, which I believe can help children like her a lot. In return, I receive sincere gratitude and shared successes, as my young pupil continues to do better.

Gergely Hódosi also took the opportunity when he read about the possibility of Pro Bono presentations in the call for volunteers. He gave an insight into the possibilities of using Large Language Models (LLMs) to an audience of small and medium-sized enterprises recruited by the Győr-Moson-Sopron County Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He explained how these AI-based systems can support business processes, increase efficiency and improve decision-making.

“I look forward to contributing to the success of others, helping to drive technological innovation and competitiveness in interested businesses.”

Help truly shows a thousand faces at Audi Hungaria throughout the year, and in return, thousands of grateful people smile back at us, whose smiles are triggered by our help.