Volunteer of the Year — December 5, 2021

The “Volunteer of the Year” ceremony was the culmination of the Hanukkah week at the JCC KEDEM and can rightfully be called a Hanukkah miracle! After a series of online events, this year’s ceremony returned to its usual format with the presence of all the laureates in the hall, with invited guests and a rich concert program. The ceremony was attended by 80 active participants of the volunteer movement from 3 cities: Chisinau, Balti, Rybnitsa, as well as representatives of partner organizations that contributed to the development of volunteering in Moldova in 2021. (Note that during the event, the organizers strictly followed all COVID security measures).

Of course, the main protagonists of the ceremony were the laureates of the award. There were more than 50 of them this year. This was the first ceremony for the volunteers of Balti and Rybnitsa, where they could get acquainted with the successes of their fellow volunteers from different cities. The ceremony began with the lighting of the 8th Hanukkah candle, so we all completed the series of Hanukkah events together. Then the time came for honoring the volunteers, for whom the holiday itself was organized. Volunteer of the Year laureates were awarded in 7 nominations:

• «Active of the Year» — the most active volunteers of the RVC.
• Breakthrough of the Year — volunteers who showed themselves in 2021
• «Always in touch» — volunteers who remotely provide assistance through online programs and telephone calls
• Healthy Vitamin Box Project of the Year is a unique long-term project of this year
• «Hero of Our City» — a nomination celebrating the successes of the 12 most active volunteers in Balti and Rybnitsa
• «Partner of the Year» — it marks organizations that have repeatedly supported the holding of actions and projects of the RVC in 2021
• «Volunteer by vocation» is a special nomination for those volunteers who have been participating in RVC projects for several years and cannot imagine their life without volunteering.

Throughout the evening, we talked about our successes and achievements. Video clips were specially prepared, which perfectly described the main directions of the volunteer activities of our center. At the end of the program, a surprise awaited all the participants — the performance of the beloved Moldovan pop singer Nelly Ciobanu, who added even more colors that evening and will be remembered for a long time by everyone present. We can say with confidence that miracles happen! The main thing is to believe and act!

We express our gratitude to everyone who shared with us the brightest and brightest emotions of this evening and filled the hall with smiles, good mood and support. After all, we are one big team!

And the team of RVC coordinators is already waiting for the next “Volunteer of the Year” ceremony.

Further more!

On December 12, another informal meeting for volunteers «Musical Hour» took place.

The Musical Hour meeting is aimed at rallying and attracting new volunteers. There, the volunteers were awaited by a musical format, where she listened to solo guitar performances by the organizer of the event, Stolyarenko Artyom. Also at the event, the volunteers had a karaoke format, where anyone could sing any song from a previously prepared list. There were 9 people at the meeting. They had a great time, everyone present was very impressed and are looking forward to the next event.

On December 15, we had a wonderful training «Wheel of balance» with our psychologist Lyudmila Semina.

During the meeting, we learned a lot of new and useful information, shared our emotions and life situations. We learned the basics of time management, how to balance and combine several tasks and projects at once. During the meeting, the participants managed to create an amazing atmosphere filled with warmth and friendliness. We say with confidence that now we are ready to enter the New Year with new goals and plans! Thanks to everyone who attended the training, we are always glad to see you within the walls of the RVC!

Since December was the month when the entire Jewish people celebrated Hanukkah, ate delicious suvganiyets and rejoiced in a miracle that happened a long time ago, we also did not forget this important holiday. On Hanukkah Shabbat, a special interactive program was held for the volunteers, within the framework of which the participants could not only learn new facts of the holiday, but also remember the main traditions and customs. Each participant shared his emotions that he experiences during the holiday 8 days.

Since the volunteer center hosts classes not only about the study of the culture and traditions of the Jewish people, but also creative projects and a master class, we want to share one of the important projects aimed at the development of children. Talking English — learning English. On this project, our participants will learn new words that they can later use in communication. They read texts, write tests that help our volunteers learn the level of their language skills. They also have interactive quizzes and play mind games. Both children and parents love this project, but all blah

thanks to volunteers who create interesting meetings.

On December 26, the final ceremony of exchanging points for volunteers of the Republican Volunteer Center took place.

In any activity, it is very important to reward people for their merits and achievements. One of the Center’s ways to express gratitude to volunteers is through the Points Exchange Ceremony. The event takes place twice a year: in December and in June.

On December 26, the long-awaited Points Exchange Ceremony took place, the final one this year! This was the last opportunity this year to exchange the accumulated volunteer hours — points for volunteering in 2021! More than 30 volunteers became the happy owners of the new promotional products of the Republican Volunteer Center, which, no doubt, will be useful both in volunteer activities and in everyday life — by the end of the year, we prepared many surprises and took the first steps in the bonus system for encouraging active volunteers, which we plan to actively promote and expand in the new year 2022! The points exchange ceremony was an excellent occasion for volunteers from different directions to meet, exchange results and news for the entire year 2021, and share their plans for the next year.

Recall that with the beginning of the new year 2022, all clocks will be reset to zero. Therefore, do not forget to add to your list of goals for 2022 the time that you are willing to spend on volunteering, so that later you will receive pleasant and useful gifts from the RVC!

Congratulations to the elderly on the New Year 2022.

From 20 to 30 December, Call Center volunteers launched a good action — New Year’s greetings to lonely seniors by phone. Over the course of several days, a team of 6 people managed to congratulate more than 500 elderly people with the new year 2022 and from the bottom of their hearts wished good, health and all the best to our elderly grandparents. The action brought a festive atmosphere to the center — many elderly responded to congratulatory poems and warm words of volunteers and wished the center to achieve goals, new ideas, patience and good health for volunteers and project coordinators.

Hurry up to do good deeds!

Let’s all do good together!

See you at the RVC in the new year 2022! Further more!