Date: April 27, 2005
Asociatia Ovidiu Rom and Nobel Launches "Nobel Kids" Program to Help Underprivileged Children
BUCHAREST April 27, 2005 - Asociatia Ovidiu Rom and Nobel Romania launch "Nobel Kids", the first phase of its public/private
partnership initiative to get ALL the kids in Bucharest into school!
Beginning this summer, 30 impoverished children living in Sector 5 will become the first “Nobel Kids” as they take part in an
interactive IT & English program initiated by Asociatia Ovidiu Rom with funding by Nobel Limited Company with offices in Romania. “Nobel
Kids” kicks off with an Easter Egg Hunt on Wednesday, April 27, at 9:45am, at Ovidiu Rom’s “Gata, Dispus si Capabil”
Center at the IC Bratianu School (Nr.141), Strada Amurgului 35, Sector 5.
Nobel Kids is designed to help children improve their prospects for the future by giving them practical English and computer skills and making
learning enjoyable. The “Nobel Kids” after-school program will offer 30 children between 8 and 12 years of age a special IT/English
program, which will be conducted in a classroom provided by School 141.
“Nobel’s Bucharest office has thrived here and we are pleased that we can give back to the local community,” states Nobel
CEO Thomas Knobel. “’Nobel Kids’ will provide hope to deserving children as well as altruistic involvement for our employees.”
The course will be taught by an English teacher assisted by native English speaking volunteers; interactive computer classes will be taught
by a certified IT teacher. The kids will be paired with staff in Nobel’s corporate office in Carlsbad, California, with whom they will
exchange e-mails in English. Emphasis will be put on sharing cross cultural information with their Nobel ‘e-pals’. Nobel’s
Bucharest staff will also be encouraged to volunteer (working directly with the children and/or providing support to the teachers).
Cultural and enrichment activities will be incorporated as a reward for attendance, effort, achievement, cooperation and teamwork. Selected
“Nobel Kids” will also get to attend a Viata one-week outdoor leadership camp run by “New Horizons” in Petrosani.
Bucharest has a thriving economy today, but for many people with low education levels job opportunities are drastically limited, social supports
are lacking, and the frequency of domestic violence, substance abuse, child neglect, illiteracy, and wasted lives is high.
In a civil society, it is the larger community’s responsibility to make sure that all its children get nurturing, education, health
care, and the opportunity to reach their full potential as adults. The “Nobel Kids” program is an example of such a community
initiative. Ovidiu Rom hopes its success will lead other Romanian-based corporations to sponsor similar programs in other disadvantaged schools.
Asociatia Ovidiu Rom works to empower impoverished people through education, job training, public awareness and community development. Its
award-winning Gata, Dispus si Capabil Program is an adaptation of the highly-regarded welfare-to-work program, Ready, Willing & Able,
which was developed in the U.S. by The Doe Fund of New York.
Leslie Hawke and Maria Gheorghiu started Gata, Dispus si Capabil in 2001 as a project of the Fundatia de Sprijin Comunitar in Bacau. The
programs are currently co-financed by USAID through World Learning. Gata, Dispus si Capabil helps impoverished mothers find and keep jobs,
and helps impoverished children get into school, stay in school, and excel in school. The Bucharest program is a partnership with Asociatia
Sfantul Stelian and the Bacau program is a partnership with Fundatia de Sprijin Comunitar.
To volunteer, donate or obtain more information, please contact:
Alina Seghedi, Director of Development, Asociatia Ovidiu Rom
alina@ovid.ro; 315-8806 or 0723-603-603
www.ovid.ro
Nobel Romania Contact: Cristina Preda 021 211 01 85
cristina.preda@nobel.ro
Date: November 1, 2004
Nobel named one of America's Fastest Growing Private Companies in INC. 500
Global telecommunications company, Nobel, ranks 79 on
Inc. Magazine's 23rd annual Inc. 500 ranking of the fastest-growing
private companies in the country. Nobel made the cut by
posting a four year sales growth of 1,420 percent. While
the 2004 Inc. 500 only counts the previous four years
of growth, Nobel's five-year growth was over 14,000 percent.
The Inc. 500 Special Issue is now available on newsstands.
Founded in 1998 by Thomas Knobel, Nobel has grown rapidly over the past six years by
offering an array of global communications services. While Nobel's beginnings lie in
pioneering online prepaid phone cards with Nobelcom.com, the company now offers a bevy
of telecommunications services. Today, consumers worldwide rely on Nobel's powerful
global TDM/VoIP telecommunications network to provide reliable and technically advanced
products.
Nobel's products are anchored by NobelTel, Nobel's own facilities-based carrier division.
NobelTel operates Nobel's global TDM/VoIP network, while selling to and purchasing from
leading telecommunications carriers. Nobel's other services include prepaid and postpaid
long-distance, corporate telecommunications connectivity and traditional retail telecom
services for consumers, distributors and resellers worldwide.
Since 2001, Nobel has continued to expand its global TDM/VoIP network in order to
accommodate these new services and acquire new customers for existing services. This
expansion, paired with Nobel's commitment to reliable service, competitive rates and
24/7 customer support for all products, has enabled the company to consistently increase
revenue each year. In addition, Nobel has hired more than 250 new staff members and
expanded to multiple global offices.
According to Inc. magazine, the companies that made the list have thrived despite
continued stagnation in the economy, posting an average year-over-year sales growth
of 265 percent. And while the United States shed 410,000 jobs in 2003, Inc. 500
companies provided employment for more than 70,000 people.
"The best thing you can say about this year's crop of Inc. 500 entrepreneurs is that
they didn't buy into the hype," said John Koten, editor-in-chief at Inc. "When people
were practically giving away funding in the late 1990s, these companies didn't overextend,
and when everyone hit the panic button a few years later, they stayed calm and seized
opportunity."
Nobel's growth plans include adding telecommunications services throughout multiple
worldwide markets, while growing each of its core businesses.
|
 |
|
