In Loving Memory of Suna Kıraç

Suna Kıraç, the former chairwoman of the Executive Board at Vehbi Koç Foundation, and a prominent businesswoman who held several leadership roles, passed away on Tuesday, September 15, 2020. She was raised with the contemporary values of our Republic, and made significant contributions to our country’s industrial, educational, cultural and artistic development with her remarkable achievements in both business and social life.

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‘Nursing in the time of Covid-19’ Symposium held online

The International Nurses Day program, organized annually as part of the Nursing Week in collaboration with Koç University School of Nursing, Semahat Arsel Nursing Education and Research Center and Vehbi Koç Foundation Healthcare Institutions, was held online this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Professor Ayişe Karadağ, the Dean of Koç University School of Nursing, gave the opening speech of the symposium titled “Nursing in the time of Covid-19”.

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Ashoka Turkey organized Social Entrepreneurship Day in partnership with VKV

Ashoka Turkey, in partnership with Vehbi Koç Foundation, hosted the Social Entrepreneurship Day on April 28-29 to bring together leaders of the civil society and the business world. The sessions, held online and open to the public, were followed by nearly 200 people from more than 10 cities. Vehbi Koç Foundation General Manager Erdal Yıldırım gave the opening speech of the event, whose guests of honor included Jeroo Billimoria, Bekir Ağırdır and Faruk Eczacıbaşı.

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Vehbi Koç Foundation’s Annual Report is Published

The seventh edition of “VKV”, the annual report of Vehbi Koç Foundation, the first private foundation of Turkey established more than 50 years ago, was published in Turkish and English. The report provides an overview of the year 2019, documenting the activities and projects of the Foundation and the organizations under its umbrella in the fields of education, healthcare, culture and civic society, with insightful interviews enriching the content.

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The 19th Vehbi Koç Award presented to Professor İlhan Tekeli

The recipient of the 19th Vehbi Koç Award, presented annually in the fields of culture, education and healthcare, respectively, by the Vehbi Koç Foundation to recognize individuals and institutions that contribute to improving people’s quality of life was Professor İlhan Tekeli for his body of work on “social sciences and urban studies”. This year, the award was in the field of “culture” and presented to Professor Tekeli by Ömer M. Koç, Chairman, Koç Holding.

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Vehbi Koç Foundation’s Annual Report is Published

The seventh edition of “VKV”, the annual report of Vehbi Koç Foundation, the first private foundation of Turkey established more than 50 years ago, was published in Turkish and English. The report provides an overview of the year 2019, documenting the activities and projects of the Foundation and the organizations under its umbrella in the fields of education, healthcare, culture and civic society, with insightful interviews enriching the content.

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The Model School of the 21st Century by VKV

Beykoz Koç Middle School, built by Vehbi Koç Foundation, which has been serving with the principle of “The Onus is on Us” for the improvement of the country and the development of the society for half a century, as a model school with the “build, transfer, support” approach and transferred to the Ministry of National Education was opened on December 16, 2019 with the participation of Minister Ziya Selçuk.

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The American Turkish Society Awarded Vehbi Koç Foundation for Excellence in Philanthropy

The American Turkish Society celebrated Vehbi Koç Foundation with an award for 50 years of Excellence in Philanthropy. The Society’s Annual Gala in New York City brought together Turkish and American diplomats, high level representatives from the public and private sectors, artists, scientists and opinion leaders. Peggy Rockefeller Dulany, the Gala Chair and founder of Synergos, presented the award to Semahat Arsel, the Chair or Vehbi Koç Foundation.

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Vehbi Koç Foundation’s 50th Anniversary Platform Is Online with the “The Onus Is on Us” Theme

To mark its 50th anniversary, Vehbi Koç Foundation initiated a new platform inspired by its 50th anniversary slogan “The Onus Is on Us”. The website aims to inspire to take responsibility in helping others through personal endeavors. The website features “Lives, Adding Value” video series and also a list of institutions offering volunteer work opportunities for the people, who want to start voluntary work.

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Bodrum American Hospital: Turkey’s first ‘Museum-Hospital’

Expanding for the first time beyond Istanbul, the VKV American Hospital acquired the Private Bodrum Hospital, which was providing healthcare to Bodrum locals since 1997. The Private Bodrum Hospital underwent a full-scale renovation and it started to serve as the Bodrum American Hospital in 2019.

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Vehbi Koç Foundation’s new exhibition space “Meşher” Open on Istiklal Street in September!

Vehbi Koç Foundation’s new arts and cultural institution “Meşher” is opening in Meymenet Han, which hosted Arter from 2010 until 2019 on Istiklal Street, Istanbul. Meşher’s first exhibition titled “Beyond the Vessel: Myths, Legends, and Fables in Contemporary Ceramics around Europe” will open on September 13, 2019.

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Turkey’s First Social Entrepreneurship Trainer's Training

Turkey Social Entrepreneurship Network initiated by Vehbi Koç Foundation in collaboration with the Koç University Social Impact Forum (KUSIF), Ashoka Foundation Turkey, Association for Innovative Solutions in Sustainable Development, TED University, the Social Innovation Initiative Association, Social Enterprise UK, and the Mozaik Foundation, organized Turkey’s first social entrepreneurship trainer’s training in July 2019.

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“Harmony and Color in Calligraphy” Exhibition at the Sadberk Hanım Museum

Sadberk Hanım Museum, founded in 1980 by the Vehbi Koç Foundation as the first private museum of Turkey, is hosting an exhibition of select manuscripts and calligraphy works in celebration of the Foundation’s fiftieth anniversary. A selection of works, including books, illuminated manuscripts and calligraphies of artistic value, will be exhibited at the Sadberk Hanım Museum from April 25 to December 22, 2019.

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A Profound Legacy: Philanthropy and Ankara Foundations Symposium

Koç University Vehbi Koç Ankara Studies Research Center (VEKAM) hosted the “A Profound Legacy: Philanthropy and Ankara Foundations Symposium” on April 15-16, 2019. During the two-day event, the meaning of philanthropy, different approaches to philanthropy today and contemporary practices, as well as foundations in Ankara in the Ottoman Era in light of archival documents were discussed.

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Philanthropy in Anatolia through the Ages Symposium

In celebration of the 50th year of the Vehbi Koç Foundation, organized by AKMED, ANAMED and GABAM, symposium titled "Philanthropy in Anatolia through the Ages", marking the First International Suna & İnan Kıraç Symposium on Mediterranean Civilizations, will be held at AKMED, Antalya on 26-29 March, 2019.

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Book Chat about "As Vehbi Koç Tells It: A Compilation"

A book chat about "As Vehbi Koç Tells It: A Compilation", took place on 12 March, at Tofaş Academy Library in Bursa Tofaş Turkish Automobile Plant, with the participation of the book’s editor Gürel Tüzün. The chat marked an enjoyable event about Vehbi Koç’s sincere and guiding memories, the founder of Turkey's largest conglomerate corporation Koç Holding and the first private foundation of Turkey, Vehbi Koç Foundation, with the participation of Tofaş employees.

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Turkey Social Entrepreneurship Network by Vehbi Koç Foundation in Collaboration with The Directorate For EU Affairs

Vehbi Koç Foundation launched the Turkey Social Entrepreneurship Network Project in collaboration with the Directorate for EU Affairs, a department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey. Funded by the European Union and Republic of Turkey within the scope of the Civil Society Support Programme, Turkey Social Entrepreneurship Network aims to spread the culture of social entrepreneurship across Turkey and to develop an ecosystem.

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Vehbi Koç Foundation Celebrates Half A Century!

Vehbi Koç Foundation, established on January 17, 1969 as Turkey’s first private foundation, invested $1.355 billion in education, healthcare and culture and touched millions of lives in the last fifty years by saying “the onus is on us”. Vehbi Koç Foundation celebrates its fiftieth anniversary this year.

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Prof. Metin Sitti receives Rahmi Koç Medal of Science

The third Koç University Rahmi M. Koç Medal of Science was presented to Professor Metin Sitti for his groundbreaking biomedical work with micro- and nanotechnologies in human health improvement in the overlapping fields of science, engineering and technology, on November 21, 2018.

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Vehbi Koç’s House Opened to Visitors with a Josephine Powell Exhibition

The Büyükdere House in Sarıyer, Istanbul where Vehbi Koç spent his summers with his family, is opened to the public with an exhibition. The exhibition showcasing the kilims, which Josephine Powell, one of the last travelers of Anatolia, collected over a period of more than two decades, from the 1970s to the 1990s, and were donated to the Vehbi Koç Foundation after her passing in 2007, is now open to visitors.

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Vehbi Koç’s Life Story and Thoughts Continue to Inspire

The book titled “Vehbi Koç Anlatıyor-Bir Derleme” about the life experiences of Vehbi Koç, founder of Turkey's largest conglomerate Koç Holding and the first private foundation of the country, has been published as a timeless guide for all generations to benefit.

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