Page 139 - Book about Friendship and Future.Stories of Volunteers.

Denis Zhukov

New Products Development Manager
Yum! Restaurants Russia LLC, Moscow

I have been working as a chef at the KFC experimental kitchen.
I enjoy it so much to cook tasty dishes for others, because food
is a source of energy and delight. I was often thinking what other
good things I could do in order to bring more joy to people. At
some point I got such an opportunity.
Once I was invited to take part in a Saturday volunteer event:
we were to make a dinner for 90 persons. Children from orphan-
ages together with the tutors who were accompanying them
took part in that event. There were many volunteers, and the De-
partment Heads participated as well – something interesting and
important was happening.
Working over a familiar task – cooking – I found myself a part of
this event and was greatly impressed. Being very sensitive, I felt
like a real volunteer and experienced an invisible link with that
area. After these events I wanted to become a part of the KFC Of-
fice Volunteer Team. At the same time, I happened to encounter
with a book “My Name Is Gosha” (written by a boy about his life
in an orphanage). And this book has drastically changed my inner
self and helped me to define the direction of my aid. I became
a volunteer of the charity programme “Generation Choice”.
I got an opportunity to communicate with teenagers more
closely and I understood how many things we can provide to
them as adults, guiding them in the proper direction to live their
lives. While delivering masterclasses at the very core of the com-
pany – the KFC innovative kitchen – I managed to share my life
experience by telling how I had made the choices in my life and
how I had been overcoming difficulties in my way. I am sure that
such communications can help the guys to self-determine, to
learn more about independent living and get prepared for it.
I have a quote that I love a lot, “Outside there lies a world that
is very-very big, but it can be very-very small!” One person can-
not change this world, but he/she can make it better.