Veikko Stefanus Hursti (25 November 1924 – 10 May 2005) was a Finnish

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

. He lived in

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

. Hursti is most famous for his work in helping the poor and the homeless. Hursti was from a family of seven children. His mother, maths teacher Elli Hursti (née Heiskanen), was a devout

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

and his father, Arvo Hursti, was a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

priest who helped street youth in Helsinki. At age 13, Hursti was admitted to Taideteollisuuskeskuskoulu (today

Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture Aalto is a Finnish surname meaning "wave". Notable people with the surname include: * Aino Aalto (1894–1949), Finnish architect and designer * Alec Aalto (1942–2018), Finnish diplomat * Alvar Aalto (1898–1976), Finnish architect and design ...

). He volunteered to serve in the

Continuation War The Continuation War, also known as the Second Soviet-Finnish War, was a conflict fought by Finland and Nazi Germany against the Soviet Union from 1941 to 1944, as part of World War II.; sv, fortsättningskriget; german: Fortsetzungskrieg. A ...

for two years and later worked as a

commercial artist Commercial art is the art of creative services, referring to art created for commercial purposes, primarily advertising. Commercial art uses a variety of platforms (magazines, websites, apps, television, etc.) for viewers with the intent of promo ...

, singer and circus performer. In 1949 he married. The family lost their home due to Hursti's alcohol use and the children were taken into care for some time. In the late 1960s Hursti became religious and started to do mission work and also charity work for the disadvantaged. He became nationally known for hosting a yearly Christmas party for the poor. Hursti and his wife Lahja Hursti (née Miettinen) were awarded Medal for Humane Benevolence (Pro Benignitate Humana) by president

Mauno Koivisto Mauno Henrik Koivisto (; 25 November 1923 – 12 May 2017) was a Finnish politician who served as the ninth president of Finland from 1982 to 1994. He also served as the country's prime minister twice, from 1968 to 1970 and again from 1979 to 19 ...

. Veikko and Lahja Hursti (1927–1997) had six children. Their son, Heikki Hursti, has continued the charity work.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hursti, Veikko 1924 births 2005 deaths Artists from Helsinki Finnish philanthropists