They are the people on whom this country stands, yet not much is known about them. In remote regions of the Czech Republic, they are the drivers of community life, they organize cultural events, care for the countryside, run businesses or manage entire communities by serving on town councils. Often, they do so as volunteers, in their spare time, with no remuneration. We were honored to help Czech President Petr Pavel organize a gathering in the beautiful Villa Lány garden, where he recognized 150 of these local community builders from the more distant corners of the country.
„If someone really wants to, and starts with themselves, they can change a lot of things on a local, regional, national and even global level. There are many more islands of positive deviance around the Czech Republic than we often think. We just need to start connecting them and suddenly you get the feeling that we are doing pretty well as a country,“ said President Petr Pavel at the opening of the gathering.
The gathering was an unprecedented way to thank these remarkable individuals, and also to give them a chance to get to know one another and exchange experiences. Local leaders from remote areas who bring positive change to their communities every day inspired each other and shared their successes and challenges. After all, each of them has a unique story that can fill us with hope and even amazement. One is restoring a dilapidated monastery, another is recording the history of his region and yet another brought an abandoned swimming pool from the 1920s back to life. Librarians, teachers, mayors of remote villages – each and every one of them helps make life better for all of us.
Many of those honored at the event have been supported by Via Foundation and its donors in the past. To meet them all in one place in such precious company was a powerful experience. We are thrilled that the presidential couple appreciated and highlighted these individuals‘ exquisitely patient and long-term work. „You are an inspiration to others. I would also like to use this meeting not only as a thank you, but also as a meeting where you can get to know each other as well,“ said the President.
The gathering had another amazing culmination for us. Eva Lehotská, who has been fighting to save the village of Bedřiška for many years, was one of those honored at Villa Lány. Roma and non-Roma residents of Bedřiška, a former housing colony for miners near Ostrava, have revitalized the village from a ghetto into a functioning community. This made the town hall’s decision to demolish the village all the harder for local residents to take. President Pavel learned about the situation at the gathering at Villa Lány and two days later, during a visit to Ostrava, he stopped by Bedřiška and posted on his FB page: „I support how local residents are taking the initiative to help themselves, and appreciate the atmosphere and community work that is strongly evident here. Therefore, I will continue to monitor the development of the situation, the progress of the municipality’s lease agreements and the continuation of the Bedřiška revitalization project.“ Fingers crossed!
