Over years our Annual Christmas Charity event has become one of our signature events, bringing together members to appreciate your contributions and to help those in need. This year AmCham held the first Virtual Christmas Charity event on December 10 by kicking off the holiday giving season and spreading the holiday spirit. 

Over 40 members joined the virtual event. Members were greeted by Zinta Jansons, AmCham President, followed by some key highlights of the this year presented by Roberts Melbardis. Liga Bertulsone, Executive Director conducted the charity raffle.

This was the third year in a row when Member of the Year Award was presented recognizing those members who have gone above and beyond in helping build a better business environment in Latvia and facilitating the Chamber's mission to foster US-Latvia business ties and making this organization stronger and better connected.

AmCham Member Company of the Year 2020:

• Citadele Banka
• Eversheds Sutherland Bitans
• NCH Advisors, Inc
• Roche Latvija
• Baltic-American Freedom Foundation

In addition, we raised EUR 2500 benefitting our principal charities: Bezvests.lv, Latvian Foster Family Association, Pink Train Foundation, RMHC Latvija (Care Mobile) and SOS Children's Villages. All proceeds from the ticket sale will be evenly distributed to support these charities. 

AmCham members speak about their support to our principal charities in the following videos below:

• Laura Busunova of AbbVie about supporting BEZVESTS.LV
• Hamid Ladjevardi, Chairman of American Baltic Investments speaks about supporting Latvian Foster Family Association
• Arnis Kakulis, Individual member and former AmCham president about his support to Pink Train Foundation
• Pauls Miklasevics, AmCham Vice President about his support to RMHC Latvija (Care Mobile) 
• Karlis Danevics, Member of the Management Board of SEB Latvia sharing his input to SOS Children's Villages

The program also included New Year and Season's greetings, spending a great time together and toasting to a successful year ahead.

Members and had a chance to win over 40 amazing prizes of the Charity raffle:

• 5 gift sets from ATU Duty free
• 22 gifts from Citadele bank: 5 hats signed by Reinis Nitišs; 2 Boxing gloves signed by Mairis Briedis; 5 hats signed by Mairis Briedis; 2 Basketball balls signed by Kristaps Porziņģis; 5 hats signed by basketball player Kristaps Porziņģis
• 4 gifts from Cognizant Latvia: backpack, towel, thermos and wireless charger
• 1 gift from Encompass Digital Media - a snow-white bluetooth wireless headphones with built-in microphone
• 2 Gift certificates for 2 from Hilton Garden Inn Riga Hotel - One night stay at the hotel and breakfast for 2 persons and a family breakfast
• 2 gift cards from Indian Raja Restaurant
• 2 gifts from Nasdaq Riga: A wonderful box of chocolate & indoor air quality monitoring device - Aranet
• 2 gift sets from Rīga Plaza (CBRE Baltics): a gift card worth EUR 50 & a face mask by Elita Patmalniece
• 3 gifts from SEB Bank: thermos, wireless charger and suitcase
• 2 gift cards from RB Management: 2 certicifates from Taka Spa, each worth EUR 70. 

This year has not been easy, but let’s remain positive about different ways we can navigate through these turbulent times together! 

The charities we support:

BEZVESTS.LV is the only volunteer organization providing missing persons search in Latvia since 2009. 130 people including alive persons and human remains have been found in more than 1381 search operations. BEZVESTS.LV - a team of volunteers, more than 180 in organization, consisting of telephone center staff, a thermal camera group, cynologists with a trained search dogs, divers, unmanned aerial vehicles (drone) operators, and search instructors, group coordinators.

Latvian Foster Families Association is a non-governmental organization, founded in 1994 with the objective of promoting raising orphans or children left without parental care in a family environment. The Association is comprised of more 201 families with 356 children from different regions of Latvia.

The Pink Train Foundation was founded in December 2014 with an aim to raise funds so that women diagnosed with breast cancer in Latvia can receive professional, psychological support and physiotherapy. The Foundation's objectives also include the organization of experience exchange for nursing and other staff working with breast cancer patients, as well as issuing informative materials to those women affected by the disease.

Ronald McDonald House Charities Latvija (Care Mobile) brings specialists from the Children's Clinical University Hospital to children, especially, in rural areas where they lack access to primary medical care. The Care Mobile's mission is to get doctors near children's homes to provide free medical consultations and improve the health of children.

SOS Children's Villages Latvia is a charity organization that has been developing and supporting SOS families since 1997, for children who have been left without their parental care, as well it keeps helping families in crisis situations in SOS family support centers. Since 2018 we also support foster and adoptive families and guardians in SOS out-of-family-care Support centers.

Supporters:

                                 

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