In July our children went to Italy again, some of them for the third time and for some it was a first experience of everything: first flight, first journey to another country, first experience of staying with a family. 13 children from the special correctional boarding-school #4 have been staying with families in Lecco Province, Lombardy for a month.   

This year free plane tickets were provided by Russia Airlines, for which we are very thankful. The trip was coordinated by our Italian friend and volunteer Michela Bolognani, President of NGO MIR – Friends of “Maria’s Children”.

On July 14 - 24 the summer camp Our Family took place.

This year we have stayed in Sorochany near the town of Dmitrov, Moscow Region. In winter this place is a famous ski resort and we used to take children here to learn skiing and snowboarding. That’s how we met friendly and kind people who work in Sorochany and we are very grateful to them.

Several months ago two new remarkable volunteers joined us: Valentina Mironova and Oxana Pyatnitskaya. These nice women are expert fullers. They taught us to make felt brooches and beads, and now children from the orphanage #7 started a larger project. Together with Oxana and Valentina they decided to make a big felt panel with flowers and butterflies on it. In order to have better knowledge of butterflies, we decided to visit Moscow State University Zoological Museum to see its huge collection of insects. In the museum children made some sketches that later were used as a pattern for making their felt butterflies. It seems that the panel will be very good.

Thank you, Town Council Tverskoye, for financial support. We are very thankful to the Moscow State University Zoological Museum for free tickets for our children.

On June 23-27 the youth training was organized at Istra reservoir for the graduates and volunteers of the studio. The participants were staying in tents, riding catamarans and learned to use sailboards; they were drawing in the open air and dramatized a song about the evil witch Baba Yaga. Thank you, Alexander Shishov for various help.

On June 22 children from the orphanage #7 were drawing in the open air. We got together on Tverskoy Boulevard, the very centre of Moscow, where a lot of beautiful old buildings are situated. 

It was a good experience for the children; a class, an excursion and an outing at the same time. Thank you, Tverskoy Municipal Council, for funding.

On June 11 an English Evening was held at the studio. Scenes from English classical literature were shown, we also recited Shakespearian sonnets, sang Beatles’ songs and listen to the dramatized stories about famous representatives of English science and history, such as Churchill and Newton, Darwin and Chaplin.

This wonderful evening, both fascinating and educational was planned and produced by Natasha Kolmanovskaya.    Funding was provided by Tverskoy Municipal Council.

On June 2 and 9 we painted the wall of our studio on #17, Sushchiovskaya str. 

The photo on the left shows the wall before wall painting with our chief artist Ruslan Lartsev lining out the future buildings. On the photo on the right there is the same wall by the end of the day.

Thank you, all volunteers who participated!

Thank you, Tverskoy Municipal Council for funding!

For the second time we took part in the Ice-Cream Day in Sokolniki Park. The day of May 30, twenty-five young people from psycho-neurological boarding house #11 spent with us.

Children helped themselves to the ice-cream and sweets, they enjoyed drawing and putting aqua makeup on their faces, they could make flower buttonholes and watch the concert and at the end had a ride on the merry-go-round.

Doctor-Clown Patch Adams and Maria’s Children Art Center

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