New handicap-accessible playground in Hradec Králové

• The new area will serve more than two hundred disabled children from local special schools
• T-Mobile contributed CZK60,000 to the playground built in the children's favorite location 

Prague, 30 November 2007 - The enclosed courtyard between the buildings of the Special Elementary School in Hradec Králové has been converted into a handicap-accessible playground that can be used by all 220 disabled children from the local special schools. This was made possible thanks to the combined efforts of the Parents of Special Needs Children civic association, the Skok do života (Leap into Life) association that supports mentally disabled people and the T-Mobile Fund, which contributed CZK 60,000 to the project.

"The new handicap-accessible playground can be much better used by disabled children and is also available to them after school. The money contributed by the T­Mobile Fund is also symbolic of our support to the civic association of parents of special-needs children in their long-term efforts to improve conditions for their disabled children," says Martina Kemrová, Senior Head of Corporate Communication at T­Mobile.

The original area, a small playground with a single jungle gym, was equipped with concrete ping pong tables, basketball goals, a see-saw and other playground equipment. "The playground will be used by children aged three and up with physical or mental disabilities and by children from socially disadvantaged families," explains Pavel Zahálka, the civic association's president, adding: "However, it will also be used by mentally disabled adults from the Skok do života association. These are usually former students of special schools in Hradec Králové."

Members of the Parents of Special Needs Children civic association devoted many hours of volunteer work to building the playground and they believe that it will also improve the communication skills of special schools' pupils and help them actively participate in everyday social life. The tournaments and competitions that will be held here could be a strong motivation for the pupils in this respect. The project's budget is approximately CZK 115,000. "The area around the school is spacious enough to be equipped with other sports equipment if necessary," added Pavel Zahálka.

The Parents of Special Needs Children civic association was established in 2005. One of its main objectives is to improve the skills of disabled children so that they can more easily integrate into the mainstream after they finish their education. This is the third year that various projects have received financial contributions from the T-Mobile Fund. This year, a total amount of CZK 6.13 million will be awarded to 99 projects. Funding intended for the Hradec Králové region is managed by the VIA Foundation, which selected 26 projects from among 88 applications from this region to receive a total amount of CZK 1.4 million.

More information is available from Pavel Zahálka, e-mail: pavel.zahalka@gmail.com, tel.: 602 583 170

T-Mobile Czech Republic, a member of the international telecommunications group Deutsche Telekom, has almost 6.2 million customers, the number-one operator in the Czech market. T-Mobile is an integrated operator: in addition to telecommunications services, it offers comprehensive ICT solutions not only for companies, but also for other organizations and individuals. It provides outstanding services in the high-speed network, which was proved repeatedly by benchmark testing performed by umlaut (former P3) with Best-in-Test seal.

T-Mobile Czech Republic places emphasis on taking a responsible approach to the environment and society. It adheres to fair business practices, helps beneficial applications and services to see the light of day, supports non-profit organizations, small businesses and individuals, and lends a helping hand whenever crisis situations arise. The company’s employees serve as volunteers in many places across the entire Czech Republic.

More information about the company is available at www.t-mobile.cz, www.t-press.cz (the portal for journalists) and www.t-mobile.cz/pomahame (information on the company’s CSR activities).

Contact details of the press unit: press@t-press.cz.