Спілка жінок Херсонщини

All guests could get high spirits just at the entrance to the Equestrian Sports Club Grand Prix. One of the most picturesque places of Kherson Region greeted visitors with festive decorations, exciting music, colourful balloons and friendly girls-volunteers of the Kherson Women Union.

Guests were treated to large juicy apples and invited to take part in the entrance tickets lottery. There were gift certificates, magazines, trademark pins and toy magnets from the Charity Fest partners among prizes.

Entering the Festival, one could win either a free-ride certificate of the Segway-Centre Kherson, an invitation to a photo shoot by one of the best Kherson photographers, a ticket to the Contact Zoo Strana YenotiYa, the First Children's Academy tuition fee discount, gifts from the Art Studio Pisochnyy Ostriv, gift certificates for the Olena Ostapyuk’s Beauty Studio and Body Aesthetics Studio beauty salon.

---

The Charity Fest statistics

40 coordinators of the Kherson Women Union, 400 representatives of the Festival partners, seven ensembles and 90 artists participated in the Festival. 1000 people visited the charitable festival.

---

That day there were lots of tables and tents along the festively decorated lane of the Grand Prix Club. One could buy T-shirts, caps, cups, toy magnets and pins with the Charity Fest symbols, view the Festival partners’ production, purchase natural cosmetics, drink a cup of fragrant tea, and even ask a numerologist for advice there.

Nataliya Stolyarova, numerologist
«I think, I like the Charity Fest for its lightness. Everything is so interesting and exciting here that it beggars the imagination. It’s unexpected. It’s surprising. I am astonished by the leader and the team. I wish good luck and development to this great idea of the Festival. Let it grow and evolve!”

---

The Charity Fest statistics

50 kg of apples and 500 ice-creams were presented to little and grown-up guests of the Festival. 30 pins with the Festival symbols were given to the kids riding scooters and bicycles.

---

One could imagine himself to be a professional racer and take part in a real test drive (with and without an instructor). Toyota Centre Kherson Auto-Plaza, the auto partner of the Festival, provided 15 Toyota, Nissan, Suzuki and Mazda automobiles.

Besides, everyone could fancy as a superhero. Oleshky rescue team did not stay on the sideline; they conducted the action “Prevent. Save. Help.” as a part of the Festival. They presented leaflets with useful information to the guests of the Festival, gave trademark stationery and balloons. Kids enthusiastically tried on the uniform and were photographed at the wheel of a real fire-engine.

Kateryna Berezhna, manager of the Contact Zoo Strana YenotiYa
“The team of our zoo works on the same page. Each of us wants and tries to do everything to help people. We collect toys or clothing, or we receive children from orphanages in our zoo. Charity is our soul…”

The Charity Fest statistics

13 best Kherson photographers provided the Festival with photo support. They are Alina Mazurenko, V’yacheslav Savel’yev, Anatoliy Skybits’ky, Tetyana Burkova, Anna Sofina, Lyudmyla Chursina, Mariya Tyunina, Violetta Vdovichenko, Lyudmyla Stetsyuk, Yevheniya Volkova, Olexandra Ustynova, Diana Vasylenkova, and Maryna Breslavets’.

V’yacheslav Savel’yev, photographer
“It’s such a nice opportunity! We don’t have many actions outdoors for the whole family to visit. And there are lots of amenities here: green zones, playgrounds. There is much to view. It’s very exciting for kids to see a lot of animals here. I like the way everything is organized here. The volunteers work everywhere; everything is well-orchestrated. The Festival is great! All honour to the people who organize such actions, spending time and money on them”.

Violetta Vdovichenko, photographer

“The Charity Fest is my development, new friends and contacts. Actually, I’m pleased to share my heart with people to do their life better…”

One more peculiarity of the Festival was several lectures in an original “18+ minutes” format, headed by the international coach Iryna Uzhelovs’ka. Experts shared their experience and secrets of success in business, psychology, self-development, marketing and other aspects of life with the guests of the Festival. The speakers were Yan and Slava Voskresens’ki, Valeriy Borzhkov, Iryna Nikolayeva, Yuriy Pogribnyy, Maria Moroz, Maryna Markina and Olga Gmyrya.

Iryna Uzhelovs’ka,

founder of the Individual Development Centre Im’ya

“It was the first time Kherson faced a new lecture format ‘18+’. I had doubted if 18 minutes were enough to get out a message. And now the answer is “Yes! And even not one message!” One can get out lots of ideas. The thing is to do it frankly. Actually, a word can change the life of an individual…”

.

The Charity Fest statistics

Lots of media provided the Festival with informational support. They were the Fabrika Shopping and Leisure Centre, the Internet site of Kherson and the region 0552.ua, the informational resource Kherson Region in a day, Kherson Regional State TV and Radio Company Skifiya, the Koleso Zhizni Magazine, the Kherson.City Magazine, the advertising agency Brand Art, the Main People Magazine, Best in Kherson Social Media Project.

Everyone could find something after his heart at the Festival. Numerous sports grounds, yoga and fitness with sports instructors of the Lemon Fitness Club and physical education students of Kherson State University were at the guests’ disposal.

There were plenty of various activities for kids – creativity classes from the First Children's Academy and ABVGDeyka Pre-school Development Studio, sand-drawing lessons from the Art Studio Pisochnyy Ostriv, pirate quests and dance flash mobs. Parents had a chance to take the advice of paediatricians of the Medical Centre Taurt Medical.

Olena Dontsova, director of ABVGDeyka Pre-school Development Studio:
“We feel good, comfortable and cheerful here. We try to amuse every child and get kids interested. Such festivals must be carried out in our city more often. Because it’s such a nice opportunity for a family to go out together! Even daddies did handicrafts today. We always try to take part and assist in such charity actions”.

There were workshops in making fashion garment and accessories for young designers and a defile lesson from Main people Education School.

---

Olga Dudchenko, Brand Main people:
«The Festival is super! We carry out three actions for kids today. First, a fashion show: children make smart clothes of paper and crowns of cloth, feathers and spangles. And there is a contest for parents: kids paint presentations of their families on a large wooden picture. At the moment we are giving presents to them. And also children have had a defile lesson. So, everything is for kids and their families here.

Our trademark is not only a glossy magazine and school. It is a brand, and we make clothes. Together with the Kherson Women Union, we are going to make smart New Year dresses and suits for kids. We are working on them, the templates are ready, the design has been elaborated. We are ready to sew. On the one hand, it’s charity. On the other hand, it’s just clothing everyone needs. But there are children who cannot afford smart clothes. That’s why I am eager to do it. And I’m sure, we’ll succeed”.

---

There was a charming Racoon and impressing colourful make-up from the Contact Zoo Strana YenotiYa, wonderful mehndi (henna tattoos) from Viktoriya Gordashevs’ka and workshops from well-known Kherson make-up artists and hair stylists (Olena Ostapyuk’s Beauty Studio, Iryna Petrenko’s Educational Centre Ideal Beauty and Body Aesthetics Studio)

Viktoriya Gordashevs’ka, mehndi artist
“I respect the Kherson Women Union and its activity very much. They are my kindred spirits, especially Iryna Nikolayeva. I’ve already participated in organizing Ivan Kupala Festival, been a partner there. I liked the spirit and the organizational process itself, everything was carried out at the top level. Coming here, guests of the Festival have already known its charity goal, and they become the part of the charity. For me, charity is to do good to people. When I was decorating little orphans’ hands, my heart was aching. I appreciate this work a lot, not everyone can act in such a way”.

Iryna Petrenko, founder of Educational Centre Ideal Beauty
“We deal with beauty here, we are partners, We can’t help participating in the family and sports festival, communicating with guests and colleagues, showing ourselves off, teaching people something new. If there is an opportunity, we always support such charity activities. Doing good is great! Give a helping hand, save one’s life or do it a bit better!”

Olena Ostapyuk, owner of Olena Ostapyuk’s Beauty Studio
“The Charity Fest is a great event for us! It includes issues of healthy lifestyle, sports and external and internal self-care. It is extremely interesting for us, as the policy and the idea of our Studio (and our life) are directed to strengthen internal and external health. That’s why the Charity Fest is universal for us, it unites people of a healthy lifestyle. Also, we support charity, as we consider it necessary to help children”.

Nataliya Dyomina, beauty consultant at Mary Kay Ukraine
“I live up to the saying “When you take, you fill your hands; when you give, you fill your heart”. It is so much important for me! Our company suggests women having a healthy lifestyle and healthy skin. It is on-trend nowadays. Healthy skin, lifestyle and self-care are essential. Our women must fall in love with themselves and bring this idea to the masses. The most beautiful women live in Ukraine. We take part in the Charity Fest to teach women to take care of themselves and their skin, not only to put make-up. You know, the skin is the only friend not to betray a woman” (she laughs).

Unfortunately, the article format does not allow to tell about the Festival in detail. One has to write a book to describe all activities of the day! So, you’d better have a look at the photos taken by our skilful photographers. There you will see everything: vivid emotions, colourful events and oceans of frank joy in kids’ eyes.

You can find more photos here.

Olga Musiychuk, creative director of the Dance Studio PRIDE
“Everything here is charity today! Charity fills the air. PRIDE is saturated with it, we live with it. It is our intra-club and intra-familial feature, we don’t often speak about it, it is our reality. There are children with social peculiarities in our dance family. It is so essential for them to feel needful, to know you can just dance without thinking whether you can afford it or not”.

Guests of the Festival were treated to tasty and healthy food cooked at the field-kitchen, provided by the Bochka café-bar, and wholesome sweets from the Coffee House at Pochtovy Pereulok. Soft drinks were presented by the Fresh-Bar FRESH-ka.

Viktoriya Bebko, owner of the themed Coffee House at Pochtovy Pereulok

“The Festival is super! (she laughs) Carrying out such festivals is for good, for development, for human harmony, for the benefit of people! To my mind, it’s great! We are here because it corresponds to my life principle that is “everything is after my heart”. It’s so cheerful and harmonious here! In my opinion, the more festivals of this kind, the kinder and wiser, more generous and joyful people will be…”

And the most expected event of the Festival was Svitlana Tarabarova’s concert, her autograph signing session and a photo session with the songster for everyone.

Yana Kosovan, director of the family development and creativity centre Art Studio Ostriv
“It’s a wonderful festival! We need family holidays, they are necessary for communication and unite families. We don’t often have such festivals; all mothers and fathers have to find opportunities to be closer to their children to give them their love, gratitude and just be happy. We have chosen the topic of our today’s performance (sand-drawing) “Thank you, Mom” for a reason. For all kids can say ‘thank you’ to their moms, and all mothers can thank their kids”.

I tried to ask the guests of the Festival about their impressions for several times, but I failed. When I asked 'What do you like most of all about the Charity Fest?’, people replied ‘Everything!’. First, I thought, people just didn’t want to divert their attention being afraid to miss an opportunity to get new knowledge and impressions. But next day I read the comment, made by our coach Iryna Uzhelovs’ka in her timeline on Facebook:

«I asked my son:

-What have you enjoyed today?

-I’ve enjoyed everything!

It is seldom to be heard from a twelve-year-old child. The world of computers was ruined for a day. We just had fun, danced and sang together. That was the best festival for children and their parents I’ve ever seen”.

The festive spirit was being supported by cool emcees of the Festival – Oleksiy Anastyuk and Alyona Zaryutina.

Alyona Zaryutina, the Festive Agency ASSORTI
“It is always interesting to cooperate with the Kherson Women Union, it’s a noble cause. Today I like the lane with new activities that didn’t use to happen before. I am fond of a numerologist! It’s a festival of health and beauty, we teach our people to spend their leisure time in a good, right and useful way”.

Last, but not the least, I’d like to tell about those who organized the Festival and got such excellent results. This incredible Festival was carried out due to the Kherson Women Union and the general partner – Yevhen Ryshchuk’s Charity Fund, concerted effort of coordinators and volunteers of the Kherson Women Union and, first and foremost, Iryna Nikolayeva, the Head of the Union (a soul and inspirer of all projects).

Due to common efforts, the necessary funds were collected to purchase fabric and sew dresses and suits for children from regional orphanages. So, our family and sports festival will bring more joy and pleasure to the little living in orphanages.

Bye, Charity Fest! See you next year!

Opinions were heard by Yuliya Osypova
Photo: Alina Mazurenko, V’yacheslav Savel’yev, Anatoliy Skybits’ky, Tetyana Burkova, Anna Sofina, Lyudmyla Chursina, Mariya Tyunina, Violetta Vdovichenko, Lyudmyla Stetsyuk, Yevheniya Volkova, Olexandra Ustynova, Diana Vasylenkova, Maryna Breslavets’

Translated by Anastasia Kistanova