Page 68 - Book about Friendship and Future.Stories of Volunteers.
P. 68

Ramilya Sungatullina


                                                                                                                  Assistant
                                                                                                                  Yum! Restaurants Russia LLC, Moscow

                                                                                                                     In the course of my volunteering I took part in many projects,
                                                                                                                  aiding not only people but animals and nature, as well. Since
                                                                                                                  I started working in KFC, I have managed to participate in a few
                                                                                                                  volunteer projects. Best of all I remember the time when togeth-
                                                                                                                  er with my colleagues we went to the hospital of contagious
                                                                                                                  diseases,  where the abandoned kids  were treated.  We spent
                                                                                                                  a few hours with them, feeding them, playing and talking. The
                                                                                                                  kids were not allowed to go outdoors, many of them had serious
                                                                                                                  disabilities, but they were always glad to contact and get some
                                                                                                                  attention, they welcomed us with joy and laughter. I wished to
                                                                                                                  make their days in hospital more vivid, to have some fun with
                                                                                                                  them, to give them some freedom even if it meant to let them out
                                                                                                                  of their beds, in which they had to stay most of the time.
                                                                                                                     But my personal  volunteering started much earlier. 7 years
                                                                                                                  ago, together with a peer we found a cat near the office, it must
                                                                                                                  have been damaged by a car. Its front paw was missing, he was
                                                                                                                  shocked, blood was all over. We managed to catch the cat and
                                                                                                                  took it to the vet. We wanted to save its life: the front paw had to
                                                                                                                  be amputated. I am so grateful to the manager for the sponsor-
                                                                                                                  ship of a complex operation and treatment. The cat was saved
                                                                                                                  and treated for 1,5 months, while I was looking for a home for
                                                                                                                  it, making posts on various sites. The fate of the cat got many
                                                                                                                  people excited – people brought money, everything it needed,
                                                                                                                  helped with the transportation. In the clinic the poor fellow got
                                                                                                                  a relevant name Lucky. And it was lucky indeed: so many people
                                                                                                                  gave it a helping hand when it was in trouble!
                                                                                                                     And then I met wonderful people – Masha and her mom – who
                                                                                                                  “adopted” the red guy. With them the cat grew healthier and
                                                                                                                  started to trust humans again. We have been friends with Masha
                                                                                                                  since then.
                                                                                                                     I believe that volunteering, aiding people and animals in the
                                                                                                                  time of trouble is the best cure against human selfishness. And
                                                                                                                  one more thing, I have been doing that to commemorate my dad
                                                                                                                  who would have supported me in that activity, I am sure.
   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73