Our day started with a walk to a local restaurant for the “Day of the Angel” party.  On the way there we passed the town square where many children from the Chausy Orphanage were training for biathlon.  The square is a large smooth paved area with no traffic so it is ideal for training. Here Alecia “skiis” by us on her roller skiis.

The “Day of the Angel” party is always a really fun event that the Canadians (and the children) look forward to.  There are games, prizes, food and birthday presents.  It is sponsored by Brockville’s two Rotary Clubs and is held twice a year where we celebrate the birthdays of half of the children each time.  It is run by Irina Denisyenko who heads up a group called “Organisation for Families with Invalid Children”.  It is a support group that she started and we have sponsored for many years.

There are many games and dancing and the Canadians participate much to the amusement of the children and their parents.  Here are a few pictures of the fun.

You might spot a few Canadians in the background here.

Chris helped hand out the presents to the children.

This afternoon Jann held two sessions of cookie decorating at the Malcomson House at the Chausy Orphanage.  The kids had a blast and made some really creative cookies!

Annis held a session of art painting with some of the Orphanage children as well but I did not get there to take a picture.

Margaret and I delivered 30 boxes of clothing to a day care in the village of Gorbavichi approximately 20 km from Chausy.  We had been here with aid in various forms over the past years.  The request this time was for clothing for families (all ages).  This is a fairly remote village and the people are very impoverished.  The staff will hand some of the clothing out and keep some to add to children’s wardrobe when they see them show up without proper clothing.  The director and staff were very appreciative for the help.

Another of our programs is our “Shoeboxes for Seniors” which is headed up by Mary Bernard.  These shoeboxes are filled with everything from socks and a comb to hygiene products and sweet treats.  Maybe even a deck of playing cards.  The seniors are often the forgotten ones and they are so happy to receive these small gifts and realise that someone somewhere is thinking about them.  Here Cathy shares a smile with Nikoli who is 93 and really enjoyed meeting some Canadians.

Here Nina, an invalid Senior, gives Cathy a big kiss while Byron looks on. She was very excited to get her box and a lap blanket.

This really was a wonderful day full of happiness and appreciation!

Goods delivered, joy spread!

Eric McKenzie