Спілка жінок Херсонщини

За мир, добробут та щасливе майбутнє наших дітей!

Dreams, By All Means, Come True!

On December 27, the team of an unextraordinary "dreams delivery" and Saint Mykolay's assistants (that was the way the Kherson Women Union team and official partners of the project - Yevhen Ryshchuk’s Charity Fund and Kibernetiki chain stores - called themselves) visited the inmates of the Nova Kakhovka boarding school and Kakhovka boarding orphanage "Radist'", bringing lots of presents.

As Olena, one of our volunteers, rightly remarked, we didn't start our morning with coffee. Instead, we worried a lot about the presents that we counted again, ticked according to the name lists and loaded on our bus at 6.30 a.m. By the way, there were so many gifts we didn't have free space for them at our office, so our friends from Toyota family kept them at Avtograd Kherson Nissan Centre.

We had a little snack and made our way to children!

We worried as that was our first visit to the Nova Kakhovka boarding school. What would be the way teens meet us? Would they believe us? As most of the inmates of the boarding school are teenagers, aged 14-16, and there are only a few younger pupils.

An hour and a half passed in such thoughts. And when we got to the front entrance of the boarding school, we saw lots of children's faces in the windows. They were waiting for us! "Wow, such a great number of presents!", "A toboggan? Can it be a toboggan?" - it was impossible to understand who got more surprised, children or their educators.

Everyone was glad to see us! Our doubts disappeared like an odd fog in Kherson that December morning.

Then we had fun! Quaint Kibernetik made up his mind to break the ice with a lively dance. The teens enthusiastically joined the dance battle trying to excel at dancing the symbol of the most computer chain store of Ukraine.

After the children got presents, certificates of acknowledgement, awards, we suddenly got shocked as three teenagers didn't receive their gifts! We knew it was impossible! Nastya and I at once made up the story about the wicked deer that had thrown the gifts out of Saint Mykolay's sack. And we rushed to our bus. Predictably, the bag with three presents failed to have been noticed, appeared to be on the seat.

The younger kids worried about their friends who left without the gifts so much, that decided to help the good to win. They expressively recited poems and New Year greetings to perform a miracle.

And it performed! Hurrah! Everyone got presents! Those were very emotional and cheerful moments that filled our eyes with tears. The moment when Vova Klevakin got a hat and the toboggan he had dreamt about, he burst into tears as no one hadn't believed his dream could come true.

On our way to Kakhovka, I looked over the letters the children had written to Saint Mykolay a month ago. They seemed an incredible treasure to me.


"Our classmate Sashko has left Tolik and me today. We are very glad for him to have found a new family. Let him live happily there!"


"Although you can't return my mum, I know you are here. Take all bad feelings and give me new ones." (Denys Chikunov)


" I'd like to get a rational New Year present. I don't want a car, iPhone or sweets either. I want my family to love me and not to quarrel ever." (Vova Krotov)


Father Frost, I know you exist. And I will always believe in you…” (Alina Logvenko)


"Radist'" (Joy) had already been waiting for us! It was incredibly kind, light, homely warm and very near and dear! We seemed to be present in a real fairy tale there - a New Year festival with Father Frost, Sniguron'ka, Forest Witch, little devils, Capricious Princess, bridegrooms-musketeers and bright New Year stars in odd costumes.

And there were more guests, namely active young girls and boys from Kakhovka, Social Services District Centre representatives that came to treat children to sweets and congratulate them with New Year and even some of the parents.

I think it was a real challenge for the kids to wait for the performance to be over. We had put las hings of presents under the New Year tree, and they caught the children's looks and thoughts.

Finally, we started giving presents. The kids came one by one to get their gifts and were looking forward to the moment to open them.

Little Kyrylo Solovyov was glad, smiled and made eyes at us, hugged us and told secrets every time we visited the orphanage. That day he behaved the same but sneaked a concerned look at his present from time to time: "Saint Mykolay presented him the thing he had wanted, didn't he?"

After all the presents had been given to the children, Kyrylo started quickly opening his present accompanying other kids. When the boy saw a mute permission to tear the paper in my eyes, he tore both the paper and box in excitement and shouted at the top of his voice, "Jaaaaacket!" And the little ones piped, "A jacket, jacket! This is exactly what you asked for!" And, you know, they were happy that their friend's dream came true.

The girls were especially excited. They felt like real queens wearing fashionable dresses, blouses and skirts by fashion stylist Kateryna Savchenko and Kate's Lab Salon and wreaths made for them with love and warmth by photographer Nataliya Timanova and her mother.

We also were happy and "shining" (as the orphanage director Yuliya Yegorivna called us). Because we did all that with all our heart, with love, sincerity and on behalf of all good people.


For your reference:
The social project "I am Saint Mykolay" was carried out in Kherson Region from November 19 till December 19 for the first time. The project organizers asked inmates of Kherson and regional orphanages to write down their dreams and went on searching for "Saint Mykolays" ready to realize children's dreams on a popular social network. All gifts were collected, packed and signed in order no child would be left without a present. The dreams that had not been realized by December 19 were purchased due to our partners' financial support. All presents were being given to kids from December 19 until New Year.

You can see more photos on the Kherson Women Union official page on Facebook.

Photo – Alina Mazurenko

Translated by Anastasia Kistanova

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Юлія Майнер

Філолог за освітою та покликанням. Обожнює дітей і все, що з ними пов'язане!

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