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.

Olga Nikitina. I am 24. 3 years I lived in Israel. I am the member of the volunteering Center from the day of its opening, because I often attend the Community Center «Thija», and I couldn’t miss the new initiative, which is very useful for our community. As for me, the volunteering, first of all, is a pleasant possibility to help to the other people, and desirably, I am very glad to help with the things which I can do by myself. I became the co-author and the volunteer of the project “Kind Guest”. And I get much pleasure cooking according to the recipes of our ancestors, thereby, making the goodness to the members of my community in the present. People say, that my dishes are very tasty. And I think, it is so because I do it with all my love.

I am a teacher-volunteer with a big work experience. I am not indifferent to everything that occurs in Jewish community and not only there. I managed to start many projects, among which there are Sunday school that became one of the best Sunday schools in Ukraine and the first Jewish kindergarten “Prakhim” at the municipal pre-school institution №81. This project was launched with incredible difficulties and it has been working since 2000. I have worked it up and successfully presented it when I studied at the Jerusalem University according to the Melton program for teachers of the Jewish education.I have also initiated and organized such projects as:

1) Publication of the book-almanac «Shofar» about the history of Jews living in the Cherkassy region (assistance in preparation and publication);

2) Organization of a traveling exhibition «Anne Frank. History Lesson» and holding the city competition of compositions in this subject;

3) Help in perpetuation of the Righteous gentile A. Shulezhko (organization of anniversary actions in the city, edition of the book «Pam’yaty Slavetnoy Zhemlyachky», participation and help in installation of a memorial board in the city);

4) Publication of methodical works and scenarios of the Jewish holidays (“New Jewish School” Publishing house, St. Petersburg).

5) Writing poems and songs for children, poetic translations from Hebrew and Yiddish for vocal collectives.

The Jewish period of my life began in 1993 when I returned to my hometown from Poltava. In 1994 my volunteer activity in the Jewish community had started. Doing good deeds, having satisfaction from the fact that you help somebody, and a pleasure from self-realization is what unites all volunteers! I still continue my volunteer activity in the community. I am the Head of Literary club in Hesed and every month, even several times a month, hold thematic meetings with the participants of the Jewish revival programs. I have brought up many generations of the Jewish children. Together with the knowledge of the Jewish culture I strive to foster the desire to do good.