Page 153 - Book about Friendship and Future.Stories of Volunteers.

Tatyana Leongardt

KFC Mir
Barnaul

We Have Become Friends

I have been working in KFC for 6 years, and for 3 years I have
been volunteering in the team “The Territory of the Kind Heart”
in Barnaul. When first discussions about charity and volunteer-
ing began in the KFC company, I understood that for me it was
a chance to do what I had always wanted to do but was delaying
for a number of reasons.
We started with getting acquainted with the administration
of the Regional State Budgetary Educational Institution “Barnaul
Secondary Boarding School #1”: spoke about the career guid-
ance program and social adaptation for orphans, about the ac-
tivities that are held for the kids in the course of this program,
caught the interest. Then we invited the kids to visit our restau-
rant with an informative excursion.
The first kids’ visit became unforgettable for all out team – this
is how our friendship started. Unfortunately, the kids seldom leave
their facilities and this small excursion became a whole event for
them. For many of them it was the very first visit to a KFC restau-
rant. First, there were fear and suspicion in their eyes, and at the
end of our introduction visit there were delight and joy.
Since then our team has been regularly inviting the kids from
the boarding school for lunch. We also have been visiting them
quite often, arranging excursions, games, quests and introduc-
tory meetings with experts. The volunteers of “The Territory of
the Kind Heart” have become close friends with the kids from the
boarding school.
For us the most important issue is that the kids are smiling and
getting at least some attention and positive emotions that they
lack so much, as well as gaining experience that they will find
useful later on!