Over 15 years, Novartis volunteers in Slovenia have dedicated more than 41,200 working hours to local communities

  • At this year’s 15th Community Partnership Day, more than 680 Novartis employees in Slovenia will pay back to society and the environment by participating in more than 25 different activities and projects. 
  • Over 15 years, including this year, Novartis associates from all divisions will have devoted to corporate volunteerism more than 41,200 hours of volunteering work, helped more than 60 different organisations and 12,000 people as part of this initiative.
  • At the global level, Novartis’ corporate volunteerism activities take place across six continents in 58 countries. On average, more than 20,000 Novartis associates participate in the Community Partnership day initiative around the world.
4. 4. 2019

From April 10 to May 29, Novartis associates in Slovenia (Lek, Sandoz, Pharmaceuticals and Oncology) will dedicate their time to helping individuals and different organisations across Slovenia – from Lendava to Debeli rtič. More than 680 associates from all Novartis divisions will join this year’s corporate volunteerism project. Over this 15-year period, Novartis’ Lek’s good practice in volunteerism have been adopted also by some other companies in Slovenia that now organise similar activities. 

Novartis in Slovenia has been organising corporate volunteering activities for 15 consecutive years, following the example of the Novartis global initiative marking the foundation of Novartis in 1996.

»Access to treatment and responsible business conduct constitute the foundation of corporate responsibility at Novartis. With our achievements in research and innovation, we create new and more accessible treatment options for patients around the world, while at the same time, by being sensitive to the needs of our fellow man and lending a helping hand, we show our long-term commitment and connection with local communities and places where we operate,« said Zvone Bogdanovski, President of the Board of Management of Lek and Novartis Country President Slovenia on the occasion of the 15th Community Partnership Day. »I am proud of the more than 680 associates who will offer their time and help individuals and organisations in the environment where they live and work. Many of them have been supporting causes in our local communities from the very beginning, thereby promoting Novartis’ sensitivity to fellow man also in their local environment. I believe it is important to help, to lend a helping hand to those in need.« This year, Novartis in Slovenia is organising the Community Partnership day for the 15th time in a row. This year including, Novartis’s associates will have devoted to corporate volunteerism more than 41,200 hours of volunteering work, helped more than 60 different organisations and 12,000 people. 

“I have been participating in the Community Partnership day from the very beginning; for a full 15 years. Acting in partnership with the local community enriches us and I am glad that we can make a difference for people in need. This is also one of the opportunities to get to know each other better and connect with the associates from different sites, as the atmosphere is always very relaxed, cheerful and creative,« stressed Irena Smole, one of the volunteers at Lek.

The key purposes of the Community Partnership Day are showing long-term commitment and relationship with the local community in places where Novartis operates, as well as connecting associates from different functions and divisions in the spirit of cooperation and helping other people.   

»I like paying back to society and the fact that I can do this together with my colleagues pleases me all the more. I am proud that our company wants to make a difference and actively supports society. The atmosphere at the events is always positive and dynamic, and at the same time we all radiate a strong desire to help and make a difference,« said Janko Ignjatović, a volunteer from Mengeš.

Helping others is the foundation of Novartis’ operation. The global initiative that started as the Community Partnership Day, has now grown into a month-long range of volunteering activities, with which Novartis has set a good example for other companies in Slovenia. It encourages the employees and enables them to dedicate their working time to selected activities and to fully focus on them. »It means a lot to me to be able to add a little happiness to someone else’s day with my presence for at least one day in a year. This makes me grow personally as well. The feeling of satisfaction that I did something good for our fellowman, is wonderful. The atmosphere on the day of the event is always amazing; the associates forget about their problems and focus only on the activity that will lift up a fellow man. In such moments, the noblest trait of humanity becomes apparent as well as our connection and cooperation. We are like one big and united happy family,« said Mateja Belej, a volunteer from Prevalje, upon the beginning of this year’s Community Partnership Day. 

Novartis associates in Slovenia are involved in a variety of activities such as spending time with the elderly, donating blood, collecting food, maintaining and landscaping the surroundings of schools and other institutions, organising trips for children with special needs and much more. 

The month of volunteerism in Novartis Slovenia will start on April 10 with a blood donation session in Ljubljana and continue the following day with maintaining the SAFY holiday resort for children in PacugFrom April 15 to April 19, fundraising and preparing aid packages will be held at Novartis sites across Slovenia for Ana's Little Star charity, SAFY, the animal shelter in Horjul and Mala Hiša in Tešanovci.

The majority of this year’s activities will take place on April 25, when Novartis’ volunteers will help maintain the grounds and premises of the SAFY holiday resort in Kranjska Gora and the Red Cross health resort in Debeli rtičIn collaboration with the Slovenian Mountaineering Associationthey will refurbish the alpine lodge and clean its surroundings on Vršič, plant trees around Logatec, paint the fishing log cabin at Češnjevek pond and clear its surroundings.

Novartis associates will also help paint the children’s room in the Special Education Center Janez Levec in Karlovška street in Ljubljana, visit the residents from the Ljubljana, Mengeš and Prevalje homes for the elderly and donate blood also in Lendava and Slovenj Gradec. In cooperation with the Slovenian Philanthropy, they will spend time with asylum seekers, taking them to the Arboretum Volčji Potok. Furthermore, they will take the residents of the Ozara center in Lendava for a trip to the Lendava Hills, the residents of the Altra Center in Prevalje to Goričko, and the residents of the VDC INCE Mengeš to visit the Technical Museum in Bistra. Together with children with special needs attending the Roje Primary School, they will play bowling.

On May 22, Lek volunteers will help Lendava Bilingual primary School II organise the Regional Special Olympics, dedicated to children and adults with special needs. 

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Novartis is the leading provider of medicines in Slovenia, where Lek, Novartis Pharma Services and Sandoz, operate. Together we are building and maintaining the reputation of a dynamic, ethical, and trusted pharmaceutical company. Lek develops, manufactures, and markets effective, safe, and high quality medicines and active pharmaceutical ingredients. With our knowledge, quality, and experience we have gained an important role in Novartis' organizational structure, especially in the Novartis Technical Operations, Global Drug Development, Novartis Business Services, and the generic division Sandoz. We are the leading Sandoz development center, and one of the key development sites for technologically complex projects. We invest a great deal in the development, education, and training of our employees. Novartis invested in Slovenia more than EUR 2 billion since 2003. More than half of this investment has been devoted to development, and the rest to modernize and expand our production capacities.

About Sandoz
Sandoz, a Novartis division, is a global leader in generic pharmaceuticals and biosimilars and a pioneer in the emerging field of prescription digital therapeutics. Our purpose is to pioneer access to healthcare by developing and commercializing novel, affordable approaches that address unmet medical need. Our broad portfolio of high-quality medicines, covering all major therapeutic areas and increasingly focused on value-adding differentiated medicines, accounted for 2018 sales of USD 9.9 billion. Sandoz is headquartered in Holzkirchen, in Germany’s Greater Munich area.

About Novartis
Novartis is reimagining medicine to improve and extend people’s lives. As a leading global medicines company, we use innovative science and digital technologies to create transformative treatments in areas of great medical need. In our quest to find new medicines, we consistently rank among the world’s top companies investing in research and development. Novartis products reach more than 800 million people globally and we are finding innovative ways to expand access to our latest treatments. About 130 000 people of nearly 150 nationalities work at Novartis around the world. Find out more at www.novartis.com

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This press release contains statements and conclusions based on projections of Lek’s future business operations. These estimates are derived from the best information currently available. In case these forecasts prove unreliable, the actual results could prove different from those projected.

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For additional information contact:
Katarina Klemenc
Corporate Communications 
Lek Pharmaceuticals d. d.
Phone: +386 1 580 22 43
Fax: +386 1 580 24 32
katarina.klemenc@sandoz.com