Established in 1992, the Zoltán Kallós Foundation has for the past twenty-five years pursued a threefold (three-pillared) activity, where the folk-art activity, the museum, and the museum pedagogical programmes related to the collection have been subordinated to cultural activities, especially to education, which holds major importance. Already in 1992 the foundation established the Cultural Centre of the Transylvanian Plain,marking the beginning of organised camps for folk-music and folk-dance enthusiasts. The launch in 1999 of the diaspora teaching programme had a positive impact on its life, as the seasonal summertime activity was extended to the whole year. After a pause of twenty-five years primary education was reintroduced to Răscruci, along with the newly opened Hungarian kindergarten. The launch in 1998 of the ethnographic collection is listed among the major events of the 1990s.
Since 2000, the Foundation has been fulfilling existing needs by launching methodical training courses for Transylvanian Hungarian pedagogues and by organising vocational refreshment courses targeting young people. In 2007 the new diaspora boarding-school and the Education Centre ofthe Transylvanian Plain were inaugurated in Răscruci. Beginning with 2010, the foundation has been developing dynamically also thanks to increased financial support from Hungary. The inauguration in 2010 of the Zoltán Kallós Museum and Ethnographic Centre was followed by the launch of the educational programme in Sărmașu, of the Hungarian folk music school in Cluj-Napoca and of the Vocational School of Agriculture in Răscruci. Between 2014 and 2016 the inauguration of the diaspora boarding-school of Sărmașu was followed by the introduction of the creative folk art house in Răscruci and the inauguration of the agricultural experimental farm in Tiocu de Sus.
The Foundation is entirely absorbed in operating the diaspora boarding-school and the museum, the supply of objects for which was continuously enriched by Kallós from his own financial sources, just as during the communist regime. At present 140 children study in the diaspora boarding-school, 30% of whom live in mixed (Romanian–Hungarian) families. Pupils come from five Transylvanian counties (Mureș, Bistrița-Năsăud, Sălaj, Alba, and Cluj). The Foundation covers the entire territory of Transylvania, both in terms of teacher training (refreshment courses) and of musical education. Musical education is not provided only in schools but also in summer camps. The Foundation’s youth camp of 2017 was attended by 228 children, out of whom 100 benefitted from free musical instrument instruction courses.
The spider pattern featured on the seal of the Zoltán Kallós Foundation represents a cushion motif from the Transylvanian Plain. At the time of the foundation’s establishment the founder opted for this pattern when designing the seal. In retrospect, it has proved to be an excellent choice, considering that in the course of time the Foundation has undergone a cobweb-like evolution: the spider in the middle stands for the institution with the circles around it representing its various activities. No matter where the spider heads, there are always vibrations sent back and signals are spread all over within a large circle. The Foundation is building a community of professionals. Alumni of the diaspora boarding-school are welcomed back; some of them have already found employment there and, depending on possibilities, support is provided for finding other jobs as well. The Foundation is trying to guide the children in their care in such a manner as to ensure a secure future for them. Apart from educating the community, the institution also plays a role in preserving it.
