Christmas package drive 2000

We focus annually on our Christmas package drive for children in the region of Transcarpathia. We can gratefully and joyfully report a very good result following the drive known as "Christmas Joy" for the year 2000.
We are very delighted that the Minister President of the Free State of Saxony, Prof. Kurt Biedenkopf, has offered to be chairman for this. His words of greeting can be read here.

We also receive positive support from the two large daily papers of our region, the Freie Presse and Vogtland-Anzeiger, as well as from other regional media. Our region television and two radio stations have also broadcast an interview about this effort.

left to right: H. Schramm and Dr. Wappler (mayor of Lengenfeld) at the information office of the Transcarpathian Benefit Society

Visitors to the annual Lengenfeld Advent market on the first weekend of Advent could get information about our work at a booth sponsored by the Benefit Society. Donations collected there and at a concession stand of the Lengenfeld Cultural Society are applied, at the decision of the chairmen of the cultural society and the Lengenfeld Trade Union, to a common purpose. This time the recipient was the Christmas package drive of the Transcarpathian Benefit Society. We are very delighted at the considerable amount of over 1100 dollars to benefit the children in Ukraine.We have also approached several large companies of our region. Unfortunately the response by this group has not been so positive.

It has proven to be possible in the past few years to bring money into Ukraine. Our partners, who are mostly pastors of the evangelical Reformed Church, acquire the things and assemble the packages with the support of some volunteers. Utilizing a transport unit, Christian Ehrler of Lengenfeld and Péter Szeghljánik of Transcarpathia, currently studying in Germany, delivered a large part of the donations at the end of October. A few days before Christmas Péter Szeghljánik then took a remaining amount to his hometown for the Christmas package drive.

By collecting 9,000 dollars in donations and using only 4% for organizational expenses and costs of the program it was possible for barely 2000 children in several villages in the region of Transcarpathia as well as in the orphanage of Keresztúr with a sparkle in their eyes to hold a Christmas surprise in their hands right on time on Christmas Eve. That was a very joyous outcome.
This time the packages contained --varying slightly from place to place--chocolate, cookies, things such as candy, bananas, oranges or similar tropical fruits, pencils, socks, toothpaste, and a Christian child's calendar. For most of the children it was the only Christmas present they received.

We can describe these sparkling eyes of children only symbolically to everyone who takes part in giving loyal and regular support to our Christmas drive with their contributions.
Many sincere thanks--also in the name of the children, their parents and our partners in Transcarpathia--to everyone who has supported this drive with their donations.

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