Tag Archive for: sponsors

Supporting special-needs pupils in Pécs

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As part of our SME Sponsorship Scheme in conjunction with HFI Kft. one of Hungary’s leading food processors, in 2024 we ventured down to Pécs for the first time, with the purpose of helping a network that provides vital help for children with learning disabilities in the region.

The Pécs Éltes Mátyás EGYMI institute educates and raises children and students with learning disabilities, intellectual disabilities, visual, mobility and hearing impairments, autism spectrum disorders and other mental disorders. Their disability is due to inherited or acquired neurological problems, which often cause them to become exhausted, anxious or irritable during lessons, and they need a quiet, calm and safe place to learn.

Kornélia Finta, head of the institute, contacted the RBIF with the aim of creating an “Island of Tranquillity”, a place where the children can retreat to, relax, recharge, and then in a better psychological state, re-engage with their lessons and activities and reintegrate into their group or classroom.

The “Island of Tranquillity” has several functions. There are rooms for both relaxation and to release tension, including items like a hammock chair, helping to relax the muscles, soothe the child and induce a relaxed state, a tent with LED lights, particularly useful for children who, because of their sensory needs, need to withdraw from the “world”. A relaxation armchair with a colour-changing standing and reading lamp: the rocking of the armchair has a calming effect on the nervous system, where the child can read, look at pictures or relax. The standing and reading lamp next to the armchair can be changed in brightness and colour by means of a remote control. The different colours have a therapeutic effect, depending on the acute or chronic problem of the child. The rooms can also be darkened, while carpets and cushions contribute to the comfort. – explained Ms Finta.

 

In addition to the room for retreat and relaxation, the donation was used for a playhouse in the courtyard for mixed-age groups of children with autism, intellectual and learning disabilities aged 3-6 years.
The wonderful-looking house is a delight for all children and can be used in a variety of ways. Its size allows several children to play together, and doing so helps them socialise, develop communication skills and creativity.

For role-playing, we furnish the house with a variety of tools that stimulate children’s imagination, capture their attention and engage their imagination. They can hide in the cottage or simply relax.

The network also has a primary school for the mentally handicapped, which has a large percentage of pupils that cannot speak intelligibly, have severe language and speech impairments and have no other viable communication channel to replace speech. Some of the donation was used to purchase equipment to initiate communication between the children and their helpers. The tools are used to arouse children’s interest in communication.

We give them the opportunity to make choices through communication, and in time they will be able to express their wishes, and thus become calmer, more balanced and happier.

“The marathon will humble you”

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50th BERLIN Marathon 2024

Berlin-Chicago-New York City-Tokyo-Boston-London. The holy grails for runners, and if you’re really serious about running, you want to run them. The Berlin Marathon is part of the world’s 6 most prestigious Abbott World Marathon Majors. I ran the New York City Marathon in 2019, my first marathon in the year after my treatment for breast cancer. It was a cathartic experience, beyond being a bucket list item.

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This is my 10th year running, I now have 4 marathons, 7 Ultramarathons as a team and countless half marathons behind me, along with other prestigious Hungarian races. You can enter the Abbott Marathons either by running a qualifying time, which is not an option for me, taking part in a lottery, or by volunteering as a fundraiser, where you make a donation to the charity of your choice.

I entered the 50th anniversary Berlin Marathon as a running ambassador for the Suhanj! foundation, where I pledged to raise at least HUF 500,000 by the time of the race.

I had wanted to go for years, and since the spirit and aims of the Suhanj! foundation are close to my heart – they’ve been helping disabled children get moving for over 15 years – I applied knowing I was unlikely to succeed. At the same time, I knew that if accepted, I could certainly complete the distance and reach the target amount, because I raise funds for all my major races, and I have always asked for support to treat sick or underprivileged children, or to improve their quality of life. So far with success.

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That’s why I’ve been helping the RBIF for 8 years now as a volunteer administrator, because giving is the best thing to do.

In the months leading up to the race I was looking for sponsors, so of course I asked the Robert Burns Foundation if they could stand by me to support the Suhanj! Foundation’s sports centre in Budapest to provide professional coaching for disabled children. And the Board placed their faith in me!

From there, it was just a matter of running. I was so grateful, excited and proud to be there in Berlin, where I was one of 55,000 runners starting the 26 miles. I had the Suhanj! Foundation on my running gear, which gave me extra strength, I had a mission. Their slogan is “we give strength”, and this gave me super energy.

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The big marathons are running festivals. Almost every nation in the world is represented, and millions of supporters line the route, giving encouragement, refreshments, playing music and cheering. It’s a great celebration for us runners, where, apart from the elite athletes, it doesn’t matter how long it takes you (within the 8-hour time limit), because you gain experiences along the way that set you up for the future. The sporting value is high, the distance is said to be superhuman.

I completed the distance in 4 hours 40 minutes, but what I came away with was the experience of a lifetime.

With the support of my followers and the RBIF’s funding of 1.000.000 Ft, I was able to raise a total of HUF 1,742,000 to secure the services of a professional coach for the Suhanj! children for over 3 months!

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I am extremely grateful that the RBIF supported me, believed in what I stand for, trusted in my performance, and so we were able to contribute to the additional conditioning and developmental exercise of many children by qualified coaches!

Thank you RBIF, thank you Berlin, go Suhanj!

Bernadette Kellermayer RBIF Admin, volunteer fundraising running ambassador, breast cancer survivor

 

 

Modern ECG equipment for Mezőtúr

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The Children’s Department at the rural hospital in Mezőtúr, in eastern Hungary has been a beneficiary of assistance from the Robert Burns International Foundation for a few years now, and 2024 was no different.

The department is led by Dr. Ferenc Antal:

Once again, I would like to express my sincere thanks on behalf of the Children’s Department of the Mezőtúr Hospital and Clinic and the children of Mezőtúr and its surroundings for the fourth time that the Robert Burns Foundation has supported our department. We are also delighted that you placed your faith in the children’s department of this disadvantaged area once again, contributing to its safe operation.

This year, the RBIF was asked to finance the purchase of new ECG equipment. Small rural hospitals often do not have specialist consultants available, and so they have to seek temporary or permanent solutions locally.

Dr. Antal told us that their ECG equipment was technically outdated and due for replacement.

Thanks to your support, this has now been accomplished, and the new ECG appliance can help our work and patient care at all times, making it more reliable. What is equally worthy of note is that the new device also helps with diagnostics in the case of patients over the age of six, thanks to its built-in artificial intelligence.

On behalf of our staff, we would also like to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for enhancing our work and the safety of patient care.

Crucial accessories for emergency care on the road, Peter Cerny Foundation

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In 2024 we once again reached out to the Peter Cerny Foundation, a charitable organisation based in Budapest that has been operating now for 35 years with the prime objective of saving premature babies in the Central Hungary region. With staff numbering around 35 they perform vital work in ensuring babies get the essential care they need at the right time.

Following discussions, the PCF asked for our support in various ways. Firstly, we helped put a new and fully equipped ambulance on the road. The funding provided by the RBIF helped to install a vital hydraulic load-lift in the ambulance, which is used to lift the incubators in and out of the vehicle. Safety is obviously paramount during the use of these ambulances, and the generous support of the guest and sponsors at the January 2024 Burns Supper was crucial in making this happen.

But our assistance didn’t stop there. The success of the 2024 event enabled us to finance the purchase of nasal equipment, breathing circuits and humidification chambers that are essential for the daily rescues of neonatal babies and for transporting ventilated patients between hospitals.

Peter Cerny Foundation director Barnabás Lendvai:

These pieces of equipment are very expensive to purchase, and the public funding we receive from the state only covers 62% of our operating costs (2023 figure). The grant kindly donated by the Robert Burns International Foundation has covered our needs in this area for about 1 month of the year, which we thank you for, especially on behalf of the premature and sick newborn babies that we save.

The Peter Cerny Foundation operates as a public provider offering a service that is not fully covered by the state, ensuring life-saving care for newborn babies born unexpectedly outside of the hospital environment, but requiring specialised treatment. They are on call day and night, but with only 62% funding for running costs, they are unable to operate without direct support from companies and organisations as part of their social responsibility frameworks.

“Selfless donations such as the one provided by the RBIF covers the purchase of special equipment for this life-saving care of premature babies, often weighing between 400 and 1000 grams, so we are extremely grateful to the guests and sponsors of the RBIF.”

 

Delayed development assessments in Zalaegerszeg

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For many years now as part of our SME Sponsorship Scheme, and in collaboration with FirstMed Centers, the Robert Burns International Foundation has supported the Infant and Paediatric Department at the Szent Rafael Hospital in Zalaegerszeg.

This hospital not only functions as a health-care institution for the 60,000 people who live in this town situated in the south-west of Hungary in Zala county, it is also the main hospital for the surrounding area, and accepts patients from throughout western Hungary, and even from across Hungary’s borders.

The assistance that we were asked to give in 2024 was directed at three different areas of the paediatric department. The first priority was to acquire a set of equipment enabling the doctors and nurses to perform Bayley III assessments.

As explained by Consultant Physician Dr. László Gárdos,

the Bayley III test assesses the development of infants and young children from one month to 3.5 years of age. It provides detailed information on children’s cognitive, language and motor functions, social and emotional reactions. The test helps to identify delayed development and provides information for planning necessary interventions.

The second area the RBIF was able to help in 2024 was with the purchase of an ultrasonic drug nebuliser. This device is used to treat respiratory diseases effectively. By inhaling the drug in a nebulised form, the drug is delivered to the lowest airways. This technology can significantly increase the effectiveness of the therapy.

Finally, we financed the purchase of a stool calprotectin analyser.

This device is a great help in the care and treatment of patients with inflammatory bowel disease, and indeed with diagnosing the disease. The extent of inflammation in the gut can be assessed by using the analyser – explained Dr. Gárdos.

The relationship we have with the Szent Rafael Hospital in Zalaegerszeg is in fact a three-way partnership, as from the very outset we have teamed up with Dennis Diokno and his team at FirstMed in providing this much-needed assistance. Our thanks to them for continuing to support us in the SME Sponsorship Scheme so we can facilitate these improvements at the hospital in Zalaegerszeg every year.

 

Outdoor therapy area in Zalaegerszeg

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For many years now as part of our SME Sponsorship Scheme, and in collaboration with FirstMed Centers, the Robert Burns International Foundation has supported the Infant and Paediatric Department at the Szent Rafael Hospital in Zalaegerszeg.

This hospital not only functions as a health-care institution for the 60,000 people who live in this town situated in the south-west of Hungary in Zala county. It is also the main hospital for the surrounding area, and accepts patients from throughout western Hungary, and even from across Hungary’s borders.

In 2023, after consulting with the hospital administration we were asked to help fund a completely new project, an outdoor therapy playground located on the hospital grounds. According to the team of specialists who run the outdoor therapy area:

We can complement the therapy of children coming to us for rehabilitation from all over the country by using outdoor games to enhance their motivation for hard training and to offer them a pleasant experience. The majority of our young patients come to us with neurological issues, and most of them have impaired motor, cognitive, speech, self-motivation functions.

Playing outdoors provides these children with a huge dose of intrinsic motivation. The slide, the dolphin, the bee and the lily are very popular toys. In addition to us being able to offer them therapy in the open air, this equipment can serve important therapeutic purposes for children for whom sitting, standing and walking do not come very easily.

We chose this equipment for children with neurological disorders because they improve balance, coordination and head-torso control, relieve adduction contracture in children with spastic muscles, as well as developing pelvic stability and upper limb movement.

The hospital staff are delighted to be able to achieve these objectives thanks to the support provided by the RBIF to complete the playground, and our thanks in turn goes to everyone who attended the 2023 Burns Supper to help us do so. And our special thanks to Dennis Diokno and his team at FirstMed for continuing to support us in the SME Sponsorship Scheme so we can facilitate big changes at the hospital in Zalaegerszeg every year.

 

Students organise charity drive for Dept. of Paediatrics

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With our SME Sponsorship Scheme we normally team up with like-minded companies and on occasion individuals to support worthy projects helping children’s healthcare around Hungary. In 2023 though, for the first time we partnered up with a school to help one of the main hospitals in Budapest.

Students in the 11th grade at the BME International Secondary Grammar School wanted to hold a Valentine’s Day Ball, but to make it even more special, they decided to use this opportunity to raise some money for charity at the same time, as part of their commitment to help out in the community.

A lot of work went into preparing the ball, which had never been organised before at the school, and significant effort went into collecting a range of interesting and valuable prizes for the raffle, including cinema vouchers, gift cards, a tour of the TV2 studio in Budapest, and a weekend stay in Balatonfüred for 3 people. The money from the raffle totalled HUF 270,000, an incredible sum for the students to have raised, and this was duly doubled by the Robert Burns International Foundation to HUF 540,000.

Director of the Paediatric Clinic of Semmelweis University, Professor Dr. Attila Szabó, and Dr. Tamás Constantin, representing the Guardians of the Tűzoltó Street Foundation for Patients with Cancer and Leukaemia, were happy to receive the pledged funds, which were used to buy mattress protectors for the various wards in the children’s department.

A spokesperson for the clinic said:

“It makes you wonder what motivates teenagers to do such a noble deed. Family motivation certainly has a lot to do with it, and the school community, where the desire to help others is natural and accepted, can also be a decisive factor. It was a joy and a pleasure to see these young people. We are honoured that they chose us! Thank you!”

 

New equipment and re-decorated children’s department in Mezőtúr

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In 2023 as part of our SME Sponsorship Scheme we were delighted to team up with a new partner, HFI Kft., and we decided to continue our support of the Children’s Department at the rural hospital in Mezőtúr, in eastern Hungary.

Dr. Ferenc Antal expressed his sincere thanks on behalf of the hospital and clinic, and the children of Mezőtúr, for our repeated support.

We feel very fortunate that the Robert Burns Foundation has supported our department for the third time. We are also delighted that they have once again shown imagination in helping us keep the children’s ward running in this disadvantaged area and have thus contributed to the comfortable and safe operation of the children’s ward.

This year, the medical equipment bought included ambu balloons and inhalers, which are practically used on a daily basis for inhalation therapy of respiratory tract infections, neonatal blood pressure cuffs, essential for performing blood pressure measurements on all four limbs, and an infant pulse oximeter for respiratory disorders.

But the funding from the RBIF and HFI Kft. went even further, because we funded the re-decoration of the entire department.

Dr. Antal explains why:

It’s been about 8 years since we had our department painted, and after all this time, wards for children are worth a little renovation and painting. Not to mention infection control and the prevention of hospital-acquired infections. We were not a Covid care site, but were affected by the outbreak. Most of our patients suffer from viral infections and respiratory illnesses. Our hospital was able to do some repairs on its own, but other investments prevented this work from being carried out.

Let us pass on the thanks from Dr. Antal on behalf of all the children who are treated there, and on behalf of all the staff who struggle daily to ensure that they do not suffer from a lack of care.

Szent Rafael Hospital in Zalaegerszeg, 2022

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For many years now as part of our SME Sponsorship Scheme, and in collaboration with FirstMed Centers, the Robert Burns International Foundation has supported the Infant and Paediatric Department at the Szent Rafael Hospital in Zalaegerszeg.

This hospital not only functions as a health-care institution for the 60,000 people who live in this town situated in the south-west of Hungary in Zala county. It is also the main hospital for the surrounding area, and accepts patients from throughout western Hungary, and even from across Hungary’s borders.

In 2022, after consultation with the team of doctors at the hospital, the decision was made to purchase a Nihon Kohden multi-functional Life Scope bedside monitor. This monitor is able to track and display many crucial parameters of a patient’s health, including the carbon-dioxide content of exhaled air.

What makes this monitor particularly special is that it carries a smaller integrated portable monitor that can be removed when the baby or child needs transporting to other areas of the hospital for treatment. This makes such movements much safer and allows the medical staff to keep them under full observation even when they are outside the ward.

 

Peter Cerny Foundation, 2022

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Linking up once again with Norhot Kft. in 2022 as part of the SME Sponsorship Scheme, the Robert Burns International Foundation reached out to the Peter Cerny Foundation, well-known in Budapest for operating a fleet of well-equipped ambulances serving the needs of premature babies. Based in Budapest, this year the owners of Norhot Kft. wanted to support a project in the capital city, after previously helping to fund medical equipment in Székesfehérvár.

Following discussions with the foundation’s coordinator Barnabás Lendvai, the RBIF funded various pieces of equipment to keep the ambulances well stocked. The neonatal nitric oxide dosing and sampling kit will enable the ventilation of newborn babies with very severe respiratory failure. These single-use devices can be used to deliver nitric oxide molecules into a mixture of medical oxygen and compressed air, opening up diseased lung vessels and enabling effective ventilatory support for babies for whom conventional ventilation is ineffective.

The boxes of adhesive plasters and cannula clamps enable the attachment of a wide range of medical equipment (tube, probes, catheters, cannulas), while lancets for blood testing enable nurses to collect blood efficiently for the portable blood gas analyser and blood glucose meter.

The RBIF funded pads to be placed under each premature or sick newborn baby in the incubator, ensuring a clean, safe and comfortable environment. The bionector can be used to administer 3 types of medicine at the same time, while the umbilical catheters are used for umbilical cannulation, allowing for the safe delivery of medicine directly into the main blood stream.

With the Nellcor sensors and cables, the babies’ vital signs can be continuously monitored on the patient monitor, and finally, with the etCO2 cables it is possible to measure exhaled CO2 during ventilation, which provides very important information for doctors.

All of these items are crucially important to make sure that the ambulances are constantly on the road with the right equipment to make sure the doctors and nurses can take action at the right time, and we are delighted to have made a significant contribution in collaboration with Norhot Kft.