I find joy in helping others. It's crucial for me to be helpful and bring happiness to others. Among my favorite volunteer "duties" is baking challah. Every time I assist in baking challah for the community, I feel inspired. Most importantly, everyone I work with is always friendly and positive. This inspires me to continue helping and doing good deeds.

My name is Larisa Vorovko. Currently, I work as a specialist in the communal sector, and I have had several professional directions in the past. However, each time I found many positive aspects in these changes: new knowledge, skills, acquaintances, and friends. Experience is always valuable! I joined Volunteer Community at Hesed Hanna in December 2021 because of a strong desire to help those in need and because I know how to knit. I came across a request for help in knitting items for premature babies from one of the charitable organizations on social media and decided to reach out. We talked, and since then, I have become an active member of the "Thread of Kindness" club at Hesed Hanna. I love to learn and constantly develop myself (especially informal education), so I didn't miss the opportunity to participate in online training at the Volunteer Community school. It's truly a wonderful school, and I recommend it to everyone! I'm proud to be part of a creative team of like-minded individuals!

Hi all! My name is Vladislav and I want to tell you about my favorite pastime - volunteering. For me, this is not just a process, but a way of life that helps me make the world a better place. My friends also volunteer with me, which makes me very happy, as the process itself becomes more entertaining. We have many funny stories together that we often like to remember, as well as we take care of several grandmothers whom we regularly help. For me, volunteering is not only an opportunity to help others, but also a chance for personal development. This is the ability to realize my responsibility to society and understand that my actions can make the world a better place. When I do good deeds, I feel that there is a kind-hearted message from me to the people who need help. This way I spend a few hours a week that later aree transformed into someone's smile or just comfort and safety and I think that it's really worth it, at least from my point of view.

Hello, my name is Oksana Antonova. I became a volunteer because I experienced firsthand how important it is to receive support in time. Due to the war, my family found ourselves in a difficult situation, and volunteers came to our aid. My husband and I were inspired by this example and decided to help other people who faced similar circumstances.

I participate in various projects of the volunteer center: "Shabbat Guest," "Eco," "Generations' Memory," and others. I admire the coordinated work of our volunteers and am happy to be a member of this wonderful team. Together, we solve the diverse problems of our wards, providing the necessary assistance.

I enjoy helping other people, but unfortunately, there isn't always time to participate in projects. However, I try to find opportunities to fulfill my volunteer duties because I know from experience that the best help is the help given in time!

For me, volunteering is an opportunity to communicate with other people, as well as a source of positive emotions and pleasure from realizing that you are making a difference. Thanks to volunteering, I have come to understand that even small help has great significance, and together we can overcome the most difficult life circumstances!

Hi all! My name is Alexandra. Usually parents bring their kids somewhere, but in 2018 the kids took me to Halom. Since then, Halom has become a living center of leisure, communication and learning about traditions and history for three generations of our family. My first volunteer project "Children's Noise Orchestra" won the Journey to Eden family shabbaton competition and successfully lasted one year as part of Yahadu's Sunday classes. It was fun, loud and uplifting. I also looked for other ways of my implementation. And suddenly I discovered another type of volunteering: helping other people to join the good deeds of society. I believe that the soul is a well, and the more often we draw from it, the faster it will be filled with fresh waters of politeness, mercy and kindness.

Hello, my name is Ekaterina Stoetskaya, and for over 10 years I have been involved in volunteering. My first step on this path was participating in a choir for veterans. Since then, I have been involved in many initiatives and have become part of a large team that helps make our world a better place.

Over the years of my volunteering experience, I have seen many times how easy it is to solve any problem if we tackle it together. This is the power of the volunteer movement, where the trickle of your personal help turns into a powerful river of real support. I participate in several projects: "Helping Hands" for the wounded, "Day of Good Deeds," "Children's Protection Day," "Volunteer Day," and others.

I enjoy fulfilling my volunteer duties and draw inspiration from each new initiative. I like helping others. I know that many volunteers lack time, but I have no problem with that. I consider myself lucky because I am doing what I love and at the same time bringing real benefit to our community.

Volunteering allows me to feel involved in a larger common cause and realize that my contribution to improving the lives of others is very important. Receiving words of gratitude from our wards makes me feel a great desire to do even more good deeds!

I have always sought to help other people, and it brought me great joy. The desire to change lives for the better led me to the path of volunteering.

I have been involved in various projects and initiatives, including "Thread of Kindness," "Children's Protection Day," "Bring Joy," "School Bag for a Child," "Hanukkah Marathon," and "Shabbat Guest." Despite their differences, they all share a common goal - to help those in need.

Unfortunately, I don't always have enough time to participate in all volunteering events, but I strive to be actively involved in the center's activities. The lack of time is not a reason for me to give up volunteering.

Volunteering has become a part of who I am, and it is a significant part of my life. I derive immense pleasure from this activity because I love being needed, helping others, and receiving support from others.

I am Mira and I am a DVC volunteer. Previously, I have already participated in volunteer events - mainly related to eco-activism and helping animals. But these were one-time attempts that did not bring the feeling of being involved in something big. In addition, I was limited by the need to look for "partners in good deeds", that is, people who would organize the process or support my initiative. I got all this in full in DVC! I ended up here along with other Hillel Dnepr activists on the initiative of the coordinator of the volunteer center. Here I am attracted by the regularity and high level of organization of assistance, the possibility of self-development and continuous learning in this area. A year later, I significantly improved my own communication skills and ability to navigate the terrain. And most importantly, I felt that my efforts bring real benefits to this world. You don’t always have time to get everywhere on time, you don’t always have a resource - but when you find time for kindness, it becomes a little better. Both for me and for those who come out to help. Thank you for the opportunity to take action!

My name is Konstantin and I have been volunteering for over a year now. Perhaps I could have started doing this earlier, but before that I was not fully aware of what volunteering really means. It means a lot to me to be able to help in some way during these difficult times. Volunteering helped me get out of a personal crisis. You could say it was like a breath of fresh air for me. At first I thought that my contribution was just a drop in the ocean, but over time I realized that the sea is made up of many such drops and they come together into something powerful. A force that does good deeds and helps others. A long time ago I saw an interesting movie called "Payments Ahead". This tragic story intrigued me with its idea. The premise of the film is that at the lesson the children were given homework - to come up with a system that would help people improve their lives. A little boy came up with a system of helping people, which consisted in doing three good deeds for free for three different people, with one condition: each of these three people must do the same for three other strangers. I can establish a parallel with my feelings. I know that my personal contribution to volunteering will not be in vain. He will find his place in this world and will definitely come in handy for someone.

My name is Sonia and I’m 14. I am fond of painting, so I study at the art school where I can develop my talent. In addition, I frequent the Jewish Youth Club Mifgash. There I learned about volunteering and volunteer center in our city. For me, volunteering is an opportunity to do something good, to give happiness to someone. I participated in the projects «Recipe book», «Good Deeds Week», «Trips to the orphanage,» and now I am a leader of the youth club and the volunteer project of the AJT «Vishuddha». I would like to wish all the volunteers not to stop developing and spreading their activity, because volunteering gives us inspiration to live.

Lyubov Shlapak is a pensioner, a client of the Kirovograd Regional Charity Community Jewish Centre «Hesed Shlomo» and a volunteer of the Kropyvnytskyi Volunteer Community since its inception. She is an active participant of the projects: “I’m a Volunteer!“, “Trips to Alexandria City“, “Bank of Goods“, and actions “Let’s Get a Schoolbag“, “Good Deeds Week“, “Let’s Make the Ukraine Clean“. Being a volunteer Lyubov holds master-classes on weaving for small children and master-classes on playing table tennis for teenagers and youth of “Hesed”, as she is a master of sports in table tennis. Lyubov is always ready to assist anybody in need. “In the Volunteer Centre I’ve met the like-minded people. We do a lot of good deeds together, giving the people we help our love and warmth of our hearts”, — Lyubov Shlapak says.

My name is Tatyana Erushevich. After moving to Kryvyi Rih in search of educational activities for my child, I came across a wonderful opportunity to become part of a volunteer family. It all started when I saw an announcement about volunteer opportunities in the "Volunteer Community" Facebook group. It immediately caught my attention, and I decided to give it a try. At first, I simply brought my child to various clubs, but one day, while observing the work of volunteers, their dedication, and enthusiasm, I felt a strong desire to contribute to this noble cause. Since then, I have become an active participant in all volunteer initiatives. I was fortunate to help generate ideas and coordinate the "Shabbat Guest" project, which involves baking challah and other dishes. This project is truly special because it brings people together and creates an atmosphere of warmth and hospitality. My experience in volunteering has taught me that kindness and solidarity can change the world around us. I wish every volunteer in our network to continue illuminating hearts with the light of kindness, not only in our country but throughout the world. Let's work together to make our world a better place!