Margit Pollheimer of the Don Bosco refugee's work in Austria received the ORF-Greinecker award of civil courage on Tuesday, the 15th June 2010.

"The real honour exists in the acknowledgment of the (corporate citizenship) social engagement which this award should express", said Sissy Mayerhoffer, the director of the ORF-Humanitarian Broadcasting. "ORF puts with the honour of 23 years, a sign for life cooperation. I wish you a lot of success in carrying on your such important work and that you succeed in receiving as many young people as possible, to maintain their positive view of the future and in bringing them a successful life and in accompanying and in supporting them for some time - or to say it with the motto of Don Bosco: ‘contribute, so that the lives of young people succeed'".

Among the congratulants were relatives and friends of Margit Pollheimer and the Don Bosco family: Salesianer, Don Bosco sisters, fellows from the refugee's work and representatives of the Don Bosco partner organisation Jugend Eine Welt: Provinzialin Sr. Maria Maxwald, Provincially P. Rudolf Osanger and Jugend Eine Welt manager Reinhard Heiserer. The chairperson of the refugee's work P. Bernhard Vondrasek explained: "Margit meets the people who are entrusted into her care with a great human closeness. With perseverance, awareness of responsibility and creativity she strictly works on the advancement of our projects."

Margit Pollheimer, who was born in 1976 in Mödling, is manager of the association "Don Bosco refugee's work Austria - rights on future for the young people". This association advocates for the care and integration of unattended refugees under age, as well as, young adults in Austria. Pollheimer was involved very early in this concern. Thus after the school-leaving exam she already looked after street children in Ecuador and worked several times with youngsters in Tijuana, Mexico. It was always in cooperation with the Salesians of Don Boscos.

These experiences were also an object of her dissertation, which has appeared in book form under the title "Growing up on the border of two worlds". For the young ethnologist and pedagogue, Pollheimer is a special concern in her work to facilitate children and youngsters from "different worlds" a graduation or a suitable education. Furthermore it is very important for her to integrate them as far as possible what among the rest is afford successfully through sport activities.

Pollheimer was glad about the thanks in her honouring and "that ORF gives with it the possibility to win more public over our work and to find more support, because we not only dependent on donations, but also on the cooperation of many voluntary and honorary assistants."

For more interests on the Don Bosco refugee's work: www.fluechtlingswerk.at