“The Happy Child Charity Foundation” held an auction on the theme: “We all come from The Land of Childhood” which raised almost 8, 000 hryvnyas (998 US dollars) towards the summer camp project for orphans and children from low-income and large families in the villages.
The event was held on the 1st of June – The International Day of the Child. Famous people from Zaporizhia, and others well-known all over Ukraine were invited. They were asked to bring items for the auction – possibly connected to their childhood. It is during this special time that children can be inspired to be creative, and encouraged to think about their future goals.
Among the celebrities and dignitaries who responded to our charity request were: our city mayor Alexander Syn, Olympic champions Denis Silantyev and Elena Zhupina, the conductor Vyacheslav Redya and the Ukrainian Eurovision singer Alyosha, the artist Natalia Korobova, the choreographer of the Zaporizhia dance Maydan’s team Denis Stulnikov, and the actress Olga Sumska and many other prominent and noted people from our city. The mayor of Zaporizhia donated a book containing Jack London’s short stories; Alyosha presented her toy and Vyacheslav Redya contributed his table tennis bat to the auction.
This bat turned out to have an incredible history: the parents of the future conductor were rather against his hobby of playing table tennis and refused to buy him a bat. However, this did not stop the future Maestro, so he broke his piggy bank and ran to the sports shop. According to him, this very bat helped him, already a candidate for Master of Sport at that time, to defend the honour of his own conservatoire during student competitions.
We should also give a special mention to our customers. Although there were not so many of them, they bought all the lots available.
The Deputy mayor Andrey Ivanov purchased the lot of the mayor Alexander Syn, then a football shirt of the Metallurg football team and a still life painting by Viktor Kadurin. Andrey Ivanov also gave a donation of 2, 000 hryvnyas ($249) to the charity’s general fund on behalf of the Regions Party faction of the city council. The chief editor Bogdan Vasylenko of the Subota plus newspaper chose the lots of the singer Alyosha and Vyacheslav Redya. Bogdan himself used to be keen on table tennis, so that’s why he decided to buy the Maestro’s bat! Neonilla Sepp was a serious swimmer in her youth, so she chose the Olympic champion Denis Silantyev’s book. Denis wrote an inspirational message in the flyleaf: “Come with a dream and live with victory!”
Other active participants were two charming representatives from the banking sector: Inna Surzhik, the Head of the Zaporizhia OTP bank’s regional board , and Marina Andreeva, the Head of the Zaporizhia Department of Juzhkombank. Party representatives from “Sylna Ukrajina” (Strong Ukraine) also contributed to our charity auction by purchasing two lots. One of them was the most expensive – a city landscape - for 1,500 hryvnyas ($187). The doll donated by the actress Olga Sumska was bought by Tatiana Oleynik, from the “Patriot of Zaporizhia” Charity Foundation.
We’re deeply grateful to all the auction participants for their heartfelt attention and support!
We should mention that the art works of our famous Zaporizhia photographers are represented at our online charity fair!
You can read the photo reports of our charity auction visiting these online newspapers:
“Komsomolskaya Pravda v Ukrajine”
“The website of the mayor’s office of Zaporizhia”
The contributed lots from Denis Stulnikov
“Dance is my faith. And I believe in it with all my heart. And a little bit with my belly”
The funny toy-pig from the singer Alyosha
