OREANDA-NEWS. United Metallurgical Company (OMK CJSC, based in Moscow) has won the 2014 Nizhny Novgorod Phoenix annual volunteer and charity competition. The company received an award in the “Company with Goodwill" category for organizing and holding the “Art-Ovrag" new city cultural festival in the town of Vyksa in the Nizhny Novgorod region.

The winners received their awards in Nizhny Novgorod on June 27, 2014. Valery Shantsev, Head of the Nizhny Novgorod region and the awards' trustee, and Yevgeny Lebedev, Chairman of the Regional Legislative Assembly, took part in the ceremony. The awards panel praised OMK's substantial involvement in solving social issues, and the company's work on preserving and developing the region's charitable and volunteer culture.

“The Nizhny Novgorod region has always been distinguished by its patronage and charity work. This competition shows that our society has not become more aggressive. There are still many good and kind people living in our region," said Valery Shantsev.

“It is important for us not only to provide our employees with a modern and safe work space, but to also make living in the town, where the majority of the population works at Vyksa Steel Works (part of OMK), a comfortable experience. As such, it brings special pride to the company to see that the community has acknowledged the festival's role in forming a comfortable urban environment and in contributing to the upbringing of the younger generation. This testifies to the fact that there is a need for our project. This motivates us to further our efforts and to develop the local area, which is one of the region's biggest industrial centers," said Alexander Kastravets, OMK's PR Director, commenting on winning the award.

OMK, OMK-Uchastiye Charity Fund, and Vyksa's administration are the organizers of the “Art-Ovrag" new city cultural festival. The festival is intended for the organizing of useful and interesting leisure activities for the young, and for the transformation of the urban environment using modern art and the active participation of citizens. Every year, the festival gathers famous Russian and foreign artists, sculptors, musicians, athletes, and other talented individuals. An All-Russian study of social and charitable practices in 2013 named the “Art-Ovrag" festival the winner in the “Best Program Supporting Modern Art" category. The first festival was held in 2011. Four festivals have taken place already. In 2014, the festival lasted from June 13-15th. According to the estimate by the festival's organizers, around 8,000 Vyksa citizens and guests took part in the event.

Nizhny Novgorod Phoenix is a sign of respect and acknowledgement from citizens to their peers who have been significantly involved in solving the region's social problems, and in preserving and developing charitable culture. The award is given to volunteers, social journalists, writers, participants in volunteer efforts, patrons, and socially responsible companies. The competition is organized by the Center for Developing Social Initiates within the Sluzheniye Association of Non-Profit Organizations with the support of the government of the Nizhny Novgorod region.