Page 75 - Book about Friendship and Future.Stories of Volunteers.

Elena Shadrina

Regional Leader of the Charity Program “Generation Choice” in Kemerovo
KFC Corporate Charity Fund “Opening Horizons”

I Was Looking for… and Have Found MYSELF!

Since my childhood I have been asking my parents challeng-
ing philosophical questions: What do people live for? What is
love? Can kindness change the world? And with years the ques-
tions got more numerous. I had no doubts with a profession, “I
will become a psychologist, I will learn to know people – I would
like to help them in difficult situations.”
Having entered the faculty of sociology and psychology in
2010 and obtaining the profession, I was completely sure that
I would work in that area. Time and circumstances corrected my
course a little and I became an HR manager in KFC. Although my
job was bringing me great delight and my education helped me
to get the required competencies and experience for the fur-
ther professional development, I still was in the status of inter-
nal search, describing my state as “walking somewhere I do not
know where and looking for something I cannot name”.
But everything changed when I got acquainted with the KFC
Corporate Charity Fund “Opening Horizons”. I started coordinat-
ing the charity project “Generation Choice” in my town and this
has become a starting point…
The participation in the project has inspired me a lot and has
given me so much energy that I cannot find the words to de-
scribe, probably one should experience that on one’s own. To-
gether with other volunteers we came to see the orphans in the
course of the year, held games and excursions for them, had tea
parties and talked. During that time I learnt to give my resources
just like that: for these kids it was so important to have an adult
who could answer their questions, contemplate together and
most often just give a hug of support.
I really got imbued with the project concept and atmosphere
of volunteering. That is why I made a decision to quit a perspec-
tive position in a large company and devote all my time to the
work in the Fund. Only there I can completely implement my de-
sire to aid. For me this means self-actualization, opportunity to
help others and see the result of that aid.