I have been volunteering for 5 years now. I have always felt the need to help people, so as soon as I got to the Southern Volunteer Center, I immediately joined the volunteer activities. These were a variety of events and people, all kinds of actions aimed at helping and supporting. I do not take back anything and I can proudly say that I became the best volunteer in Krasnodar in 2019. It is important for me to be part of a strong team of caring people. If we look around, we can see many situations where perhaps the help of a volunteer is needed. Sometimes, just by helping a person to brighten up his loneliness, we save a life, and sometimes by extending a helping hand, you can help make the right choice. Now my life cannot be imagined without volunteer help, since the responsibility for my ward Bella Leontievna has appeared - an absolutely lonely woman who was saved during the pandemic. Now she has become a part of me. Taking care of her, I understand that I saved at least one human life. I also often have to collect humanitarian aid and take care of refugees. I do it with great pleasure, realizing that anyone can find themselves in such a situation! I am sure that the world will be saved not by beauty, but by kindness!

Lyubov Bondarenko started volunteering after she saw the group on VK and applied. Two years have passed since then, and she is actively involved in various charity events. In volunteering, Lyubov is attracted by the opportunity to help people in need and share your knowledge. She is happy to be in a circle of like-minded people. In her spare time, She enjoys mountain jogging and yoga, and also loves to read books. Lyubov visits the Women's Club with pleasure and actively participates in the Day of Good Deeds.

Sofia is a graduate of the Young Leadership Program Metsuda. Most of her life she has been an active member of the Jewish community of our city. Since she was 12 she participated in the summer camps of Sokhnut, its field schools, seminars and festivals. She taught her first own class at the age of 14.

“Now it’s my second wave of coming back to this new family. This time is more conscious, because I don’t only know that I can give something to the community, but that I want and I must do it. It’s not pathos at all, it’s really wonderful to have such a family. Just think about it, there is a Jewish community practically in every big city in the world. Which means, that if you are Jewish, you will never be alone and abandoned in a new city. I have a really big Jewish family, only in Krasnodar it consists of more than 30 people. When I am travelling, an ultimate point of my program is a synagogue or a Jewish community. Last time I had a very warm reception in the Ashkenazi synagogue in Baku.

Now I am actively exploring my family history and writing queries to Ukraine, because I want to have not only oral family stories, but real documents as well.

Take care of your community, work in it, nurture it to have something to transfer to the next generations».

Maria Skibitskaya is a physician, a graduate of the Kuban State Medical University (general medicine specialization). She was born in Krasnodar, in a family of doctors. A patriot of her city. An athlete with a sports rating in synchronized swimming. Works as a physician, providing a qualified medical assistance. Long lines of patients prove this – many people want to get fast and efficient help, which Maria provides.

Maria is actively involved into the social life of her city, giving lectures and writing articles for scientific and popular magazines and participates in cardiological, surgical and therapeutic conferences. Involved into scientific work.

She is also an activist of the Krasnodar Jewish community. Maria is an author of the project The School of Health, where she gives lectures on health and a healthy way of life. She generously shares her knowledge with other people and carries out preventive work. She is full of enthusiasm and creative plans. Her first volunteering action took place in the framework of Metsuda, where she helped elderly people.

Being a graduate of the Metsuda, Maria has created her own volunteering project The School of Health, where she gives various workshops dedicated to a healthy way of life.

Maria considers, that every person must help those, who need help, when she has an opportunity to do that. “Volunteering for me is the joy of others, gratitude, positive emotions. These things lack so often nowadays!”

Высшее юридическое и психологическое образование. Волонтер в декрете? Веду проект «Дочки-сыночки Хэсэд». Люблю свою дочку, детей и их тусовки, и именно поэтому стремлюсь объединить мам и разрушить день сурка. Наши дети — это наше будущее, а жизнь так стремительно бежит, что нужно начинать вкладывать в ребенка знания уже сейчас. Придумываю развивающие занятия и делюсь своими знаниями с другими.

Привет всем, меня зовут Настя, и я волонтер SVC. Мне 20 лет, я студентка исторического факультета Кубанского Государственного университета. Занимаюсь фотографией, рисую, люблю театр и естественно увлекаюсь историей. В Южном волонтерском центре я появилась недавно, но быстро вошла во вкус. Мне нравится помогать в организации мероприятий и общаться с людьми. Так что если вам нужна помощь, то всегда пишите, буду рада помочь. Мир вашему дому)

Let me introduce myself! My name is Diana Dvortsova. I am a graduate student of Adyghe State University. I live in Krasnodar for the second year. I am an Oriental historian, specializing in the history of modern Turkey, in particular, studying the works of Orhan Pamuk, Turkish intellectual, writer, Nobel Prize winner in literature (2006). I am also interested in sociology and art history. I am the grant holder of the international project “Institution Centered Conflict Studies” (ICCS). I am exploring the factors of social integration of repatriates, who live in the republics of Adygea and Abkhazia.

Thanks to the work in the project I thought for the first time about the number of people around me, who need help. I joined the team of the “Southern Volunteer Center” in 2017, and am glad to be part of a large friendly family, because it is a great happiness to make a little better your life and the lives of other people.

David is Candidate of Technical Sciences, senior coach of the national Krasnodar draughts team, Honorable Worker of Science and Education, a specialist in the field of food industry and ecology. He was born in Krasnodar in a Jewish family. Due to communicating with his older brother and sisters, he expanded his horizons in many areas. He gained organizational skills from his father, helping in the development of the city draughts federation.

David has been actively helping the community since 1997. He has been helping to maintain order and cleanliness of the Jewish city cemetery for many years. He got used to sharing experiences, educating students, giving lectures to them. He shared his experience and knowledge in the community, doing community work, participating in community activities and life; he participates in the Health School project. David takes part in amateur art activities, seminars and volunteer work, helps leaders in organizing activities from the first day of the creation of public organizations.

So let’s get acquainted! My name is Alexander Kamyshev. I was born in Krasnodar in 1972. I am a scorpio. I have a degree in radio engineering, another in optoelectronic physics. I have also more additional professions. I have many diverse interests — from electronics and botany, to theology and esotericism. I like being helpful. I like to share my knowledge, skills and experience.

Nowadays society is looking for something new and interesting. All people are bored. Therefore, my knowledge and new information interest people. And I am interested in them. When I first felt it, I realized the importance of sharing information with others, because it gives energy and power to develop yourself more and more. We will not be alone, because we are sharing and people will be interested with us. Over time, we will be recognized as specialists in one or several areas. And people will ask you questions! I think, to give, to give, to give — this is the motto of the real Master! And this is the most wonderful feeling in the world!

Hello everyone! My name is Liza, and I am the coordinator of the animal assistance project (assistance to the Krasnodog animal shelter). All the inhabitants of our planet, including myself, see homeless animals every day, and I want to do at least something to help them. I found out 2 years ago that in our city there is a shelter for animals “Krasnodog”. Our volunteers and me went to help the shelter, and I was very impressed. I saw many injured animals, and they suffered from people’s behavior. When I had seen this, I wanted to show people what happens to those whom we do not care about. That’s how the project, which I coordinate, has appeared in our volunteer center.

Rina grew up in love and attention. She finished secondary and higher education in the field of visual arts, dreamed of becoming the second Marc Chagall and being world famous, rich and with her head held high. But fate decided otherwise. In January 2015, because of an accident, Rina Chuguevets became disabled in a wheelchair. Now she sees things more clearly. It turns out that someone feels uncomfortable, something is not adapted to people with disabilities, and someone needs someone. I started to think every day that «I CAN HELP YOU». When Rina had recovered, she changed the prestigious work of the art historian in favor of a simple teacher at the correctional school. You give much more than you get. And this is not only about money. Then she began to help in various charitable funds, took the dog from the «Krasnodog» orphanage. She has provided assistance to this place until the present day.

Now there is absolutely no question how and whom to help. There are lots of requests, which find her open heart. Rina became experienced volunteer in the community after she had graduated from the “Metsuda” program. Today, Rina manages several volunteer projects, including the Shemesh project, aimed at socializing and helping children with special needs and their parents. The project volunteers organize and hold holidays, concerts. In addition, there was recently held the premiere of the play of the Shemesh puppet theater.

Устинова Лилия Семеновна 1941 г.р.

Я родилась за 5 месяцев до начала войны в Донецкой области Украины. Когда началась война мы не думали,что будут трогать детей и женщин. Поэтому единицы и в том числе моя семья бежали в Узбекистан.В нашем гроде все евреи были сброшены в угольные шахты от 1км. в том числе и  мои родственники-15 человек. Поэтому я с полной ответственностью и желанием решила рассказать об этом  на «Недели памяти жертв холокоста». В эти не легкие для нас дни памяти  катастрофы мы общались с молодежью;старшеклассниками школы,студентами колледжа.Что меня поразило;на мой вопрос: «Знаете ли Вы что означает холокост?» Молодые ребята,полные залы- потеренно молчали.Они не знали! Но что мы видели потом:Это сопереживание,горечь и боль в глазах. Они искренне благодарили нас.А в заполненной полностью синагоге это было еще трагичней.Это стоило наших стараний и,конечно переживаний. Хочу сказать,что довольна,что могу в какой-то мере помочь.И очень рада,что наша помощь еще будет нужна!Мы будем работать вместе!Вот так! Значит мы уже будем не «золотой возраст», а «золотая молодежь»!!!