Roots Association

The association supports health programmes, blood donation events, and places great importance on helping those in need. For example, this Easter, they participated in a donation programme where 400 Easter hams were distributed to families with children, people over 70, and the families of public workers. The organisation also took on the administration related to requesting care services to ensure that the elderly residents of the settlement feel as safe as possible. Additionally, they assist disadvantaged individuals, elderly and disabled people, to participate in family events such as weddings, christenings, and funerals, as well as helping elderly people living abroad who wish to return home in their final years. Beyond supporting the elderly, the civil organisation also focuses on young people in need: last August, for instance, they organised a trip for local Roma children to the Kerekerdő Park in Debrecen.

In recent years, the association – with the support of local residents – has restored the stone crosses of Mád. Most recently, in 2023, the cross originally erected in 1902 by the Mád Vine Growers' Association was restored under the association's guidance. Currently, they are active members of the Dániel Koroknay Memorial Committee, which aims to honour the young hero of Mád from the 1848-49 War of Independence and to repatriate Dániel Koroknay's remains to Mád.

Each year, the organisation also joins the national “TeSzedd” programme by organising litter-picking tours – this year, a clean-up day was announced for 27 April. They also joined the National Tree Planting Programme this year, which will soon result in several new saplings being planted in the settlement, and they participated in planting cherry trees along the road leading to Mád. Moreover, they have been maintaining the local cemetery for years, including caring for graves whose relatives live far away and are unable to maintain them properly.

The association regularly organises various programmes to strengthen the local community: they have hosted carnival celebrations, children’s days, summer camps, Advent programmes, and numerous concerts, inviting popular performers to the settlement. In December 2022, the residents of Mád enjoyed a wonderful concert by Attila László, and in spring 2023, the Mád Roma National Self-Government’s Cultural Heritage Day was realised with the association’s support. In September, they organised a family day in collaboration with the Saint Elizabeth Study Hall and the local parish, while this year, they celebrated women with a free concert on International Women’s Day, featuring Csaba Vastag. For years, the association has also been providing financial and personal support for organising children’s camps in Baskó.

Community development also extends to supporting and developing the local business community. In this spirit, they launched a business forum series, the first of which took place a few weeks ago. The aim is to invite professionals who can provide practical advice to local entrepreneurs for more successful work – for example, by presenting grant and other funding opportunities or introducing programmes that support market positioning.

Our association places great emphasis on ensuring the environmental, economic, and social sustainability of Mád and its surroundings. In this spirit, we announce litter-picking programmes several times a year, and through cemetery maintenance and other settlement care tasks, we actively contribute to sustainability. This is why we consider the i-dest.com website important, as it addresses sustainability based on the Sustainable Development Goals. Our association supports the goals of i-dest.com as a partner, working towards the sustainable development of Mád and its surroundings.

Registration number: 05-02-0065358

Name: ROOTS Association for Preserving the Memory of Our Loved Ones and Hungarian Culture

Headquarters: 3909 Mád, Mikszáth Kálmán Street 5.

National identifier: 0500/60086/2015/2300014482101

Proceeding court: Miskolc Tribunal

Case number: 0500/Pk.60086/2015

Founding document date: 09 November 2020

Purpose classification: cultural and informational, communicational activities (e.g., local mass communication, artistic activities, preservation of cultural heritage, public collections, publishing, protection of built environment, folk art, tradition preservation, public education, minority and national culture promotion)

President: Dóra Berzi-Pásztor