Miory Regional Executive Committee
Sixth-grader Nikita Makarov from the Vitebsk district wishes to receive an unusual gift for the New Year. To travel to school independently, he needs an electric attachment for his wheelchair. The charity New Year marathon "Ball of Kindness" will help fulfill the dream of this boy and other children with health conditions.
Christmas tree ornaments in the style of the native region were handmade by specialists and clients of social service institutions in Belarus and Russia and presented at an exhibition-auction in the "Vitebsk" concert hall. The starting price for each ornament is 50 rubles. The proceeds will be transferred to families in Vitebsk and the Vitebsk district raising children with disabilities.
– The first kindness balls were crafted at the Territorial Center for Social Services of the Population of the Vitebsk district, and the idea for the marathon belongs to the director of this institution, Ekaterina Lazovskaya, to which 76 social service institutions have joined. A total of 100 balls have been created, – stated the Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Council of Deputies, Vladimir Terentyev. – The State provides continuous support to persons with disabilities, yet any assistance from compassionate individuals remains equally important; simple human engagement helps sustain faith in goodness.
The Chairman of the Committee on Labor, Employment and Social Protection of the Regional Executive Committee, Boris Efremov, invited department heads and staff to participate in the marathon. He expressed confidence that next year the "Ball of Kindness" will broaden its scope and attract more participants.
Tatyana, Nikita Makarov’s mother, thanked everyone who joined this charitable initiative: “My son is growing up in a large family; he is the sixth child and the youngest. A miracle had already happened to him once before: thanks to the support of the “Zhizn” Charity Fund, funds were successfully raised for Nikita’s surgery in Saint Petersburg, after which he is no longer bedridden – he can now move around outdoors in a wheelchair and use a walker indoors.
During the opening of the “Ball of Kindness” exhibition, Nikita and his mother, like other visitors, interacted with the artists, took photographs with life-sized character puppets, among which Cheburashka became the audience’s favorite. The cartoon character also gathered senior citizens around himself, for whom he has been a favorite television personality since childhood.
Raisa Kovalenko, a visitor to the elderly care division of the Lyozna Territorial Center for Social Protection of the Population, shared that she gladly crafted a New Year ornament that will help bring a child’s dream closer to reality. Lyudmila Stankevich, head of a craft group at the Braslav District Territorial Center for Social Services, noted that while creating handmade Christmas ornaments, she and her colleagues poured all their warmth and care into each piece.
Throughout the exhibition period, from December 11 to 17, master classes on crafting New Year decorations and confectionery tastings will be held. You can support the children by promptly reserving your own “Ball of Kindness,” which will later adorn your home Christmas tree following the conclusion of the charity marathon.