5.01.2012
It has always been a challenge to assemble C4C’s manifold and far strewn staff members under one roof for a get-together. They’re literally from all over the place, Prague, Plsen, Pisek – just to name a few cities, and even a 50% attendance quorum had been hard to reach in the past.
Not so this time! The lure of a nice central location, the Clarion Old Town Hotel, plenty of great food and drinks and the promise of fun, entertainment and fellowship did the job and most C4C office staff members, volunteers, teachers and clowns found their way to the party.
“We’ve all been looking forward to being together, but the logistics were always daunting with so many different folks from different places”, says Alena (Aja) C4C’s PR and marketing manager, who was mainly responsible for the good turn-out and organization of the event. “It’s really far out to finally see most everyone together in one place. C4C is really like a big family”, she smiles.
The evening kicked off with a short presentation by C4C’s founder and chairman, Manfred Franke, joined by co-founder Rafal Wojas, documenting and celebrating 15 years of C4C history in pictures and laying out a vision for the future of the organization.
Pointing to one of the earlier pictures of him delivering aid to an orphanage, Manfred explained, smiling, that he “wasn’t born with white hair, looking like ‘Santa Klaus’”, referring in good humor to the nickname bestowed to him by the C4C team on account of his white hair and beard.
Later, the C4C team passed on a certificate of appreciation to the management team of the Prague Clarion Old Town Hotel. Aware of the fact that C4C literally operates on a shoestring budget, the hotel had generously provided the conference room, the sumptuous buffet and drinks on a complimentary basis! If you are a ski-buff, why not check out their brand-new hotel in Spindleruv Mlyn: http://www.clarionhotelspindleruvmlyn.com (The least we could do is put in a plug for them, right? 🙂
“The work of your organization is indeed very laudable – with so much enthusiasm, stamina and incredible energy. The atmosphere around your people, which attended Saturday, was literally radiant,” comments Jan Burian, the Clarion’s PR manager and continues: “I’m overjoyed to find out that in the jungle of nonprofit organizations, some with real substance still do exist. There are not too many. ”
The rest was all fun, food, drinks and fellowship. Special guests and attractions included Milan Bocek, who drew an incredible 35 caricatures with spectacular likeness of everyone attending (see them here) and Damian Odess-Gilett who stunned the crowd with his professional illusions & magic tricks.
And when this special evening rung out and came to an end, the common consensus among all those participating was:
“Let’s do it soon again!”
