Orb communications marks decade of purposeful creativity

Wearing basketball shoes and using creativity as a vehicle, ORB Communications organised a special event at Spyros Kyprianou Park in Aglantzia recently, contributing to Voice for Autism’s efforts to support young adults with autism to become independent and integrate into society.

The event took place on June 29, 2023 as part of the “Creativity with a Purpose – 10 Years Orb” initiative, which falls under ORB’s Corporate Social Responsibility actions, and held to mark the company’s 10-year anniversary. Attendees included Mayor of Aglantzia Andreas Constantinou, members of the NGO Voice for Autism, partners, customers and friends of the company.

ORB undertook to refresh, artistically, Spyros Kyprianou Park’s basketball court, giving back to the local community. During the event, ORB members took brushes and paint and, with the help of graffiti artist and illustrator Stelios Papageorgiou – based in London and who travelled to Cyprus exclusively for this project – they painted the court, adding colour to the daily life of the park’s visitors. The inspiration around the design comes from Voice for Autism’s “Be an Angel” campaign, with the ORB team conveying the organisation’s message in a clever and creative way to the public and especially to youth.

Orb Communications Managing & Creative Director Nicoletta Charalambous, thanked Mayor of Aglantzia Constantinou and the entire Voice for Autism team for the excellent cooperation, which led to the creation of a modern and colourful space for park visitors.

“Those of us in communication and advertising have a responsibility to create campaigns and actions with a positive impact on society,” she noted. “This has been our compass in the 10 years of our company’s presence in the Cypriot market. So, we used the creativity, innovation and sensitivity that characterizes us as a team and created something out of the box, aiming to raise public awareness about Voice for Autism and its work.”

Continuing, she added: “this action and the collaboration with the organisation, are milestones for us. On the one hand, because we are given the opportunity to offer local residents and visitors to the park a beautiful result, breathing life into the area, and, on the other hand, because we support the multi-dimensional and remarkable work of Voice for Autism”.

For her part, co-founder and Chair of Voice for Autism, Ellen Georgiou Pontikis said: “we applaud this amazing initiative by ORB Communications and the Mayor of Aglantzia, which recognises the importance of creating opportunities for the social inclusion of people with autism.

“We are excited about our participation in the event itself and what this initiative is expected to deliver in the long term,” she said.

In his own address, Mayor Constantinou referred to the special importance of the action, which, as he said, lent another colour to the park and to the daily life of its visitors.

“Our Municipality is always open to fresh and creative ideas that beautify the area and the lives of its residents,” he added.

During the event, attendees enjoyed music performed by the Voice for Autism band, in its first official appearance at an event. The musicians were made up of young adults with autism, who entertained guests and impressed everyone with their skills.

The event also saw the launch of limited edition T-shirts designed by the ORB team to raise funds for the organisation, which are available for sale from Voice for Autism in support of their activities.

Voice for Autism: Advocacy & Action is a registered, non-profit organisation that advocates for and supports young adults with autism, helping them build meaningful, socially-integrated lives. Its goal is to help people with disabilities become independent and integrated into society. To this end, the Organisation has built two houses in Nicosia district’s Lakatamia suburb, ready to accommodate six young adults with autism.

For this purpose, an awareness campaign has been launched, supported by the Organization’s Advisory Committee, composed of leading academics/psychologists/therapists in Cyprus, working in the field of special needs, who wish to build a stronger society that supports people with disabilities.

In addition, Voice for Autism plans to open a restaurant where people with disabilities can work together, and enhance their self-esteem.