On May 20 – 22, 2016 the 10th International Charity Festival “Follow Your Dream” was held at the National Technical University of Ukraine “Kyiv Polytechnic Institute”.
The competition section of the festival took place on May 20 – 21, 2016. On May, 20 Eugenia Tymoshenko, president of the Association “Social Protection” (IASP), welcomed the opening ceremony of the 10th International Charity Festival “Follow Your Dream” and wished all the participants every success. 254 participants in three age categories competed for the first, second and third places, as well as for the Grand Prix, on the stage of the KPI Palace of Culture. The contestants wereevaluated by the “star” judges, including Andris Kapinsh, chairman of the judges, Dasha Malakhova, Marta Adamchuk, Euhenii Khmara, Mykola Kobzov, Kateryna Trishina, Olena Honcharuk, Angela Tiutereva, Anna Kliushnychenko and Tatiana Amirova.
The gala concert of the present festival was ambitious andimpressive. The KPI concert hall covered about 2,000 spectators, with the online broadcast watched by over 1400. The pieces of the scenery, direction and performance, the invited starguests, the amount of the news media, etc. – everything taken together – made the event really exceptional.
Oleksandr Ponomariov, Masha Sobko, Arkadii Voitiuk, MartaAdamchuk, Natalia Karpa, Svitlana Tarabarova, the “KleiUrgiumogo” band and others today’s mentors of the youngparticipants performed the hits together on the stage.
The gala concert hosts were Christina Yatskiv, Max Nelipa, Artem Gagarin and young Sofia Shkidchenko, a participant of the festival.
Prior to the concert there was a press briefing, where the news reporters and TV journalists had a chance to learn more aboutthe festival, its history and the top prizes. “254 participants fromthe orphanages throughout Ukraine were involved in the 10thFestival. And for the 10 year period, more than 6,000 childrentook part in the Festival. We are supported by 40 partners and international organizations. We appreciate their significantcontribution to the development and future prospects of ourUkrainian children,” – said Irina Volgina, President of the NGO “Follow Your Dream”.
“It is a great thing to have such a festival, and that we candemonstrate to the participants our belief in them. There aremany exclusively gifted children in our country. This year wehave been supported by both Ukrainian partners and someforeign organizations, such as the Embassy of Kuwait and “TheMother’s Heart” charity foundation, so, that means that we havebeen heard,” – said at the briefing Andris Kapinsh, chairman of the judges.
This year the judges selected 105 winners in all categories andnominations. All participants received prizes from the partners. As for the winners, they received special ones. AndrewKowalski got a special prize from Andris Kapinsh, chairman of the judges, – a trip to the “Slavonic Crown” international festival in Bulgaria. Valuiska Alina won a trip to Lviv as aspecial prize of the general partner of the Premier Hotels and Resorts. And Mykyta Chernat, with his emotional song “It Is Not Your War”, received a 13-day trip ticket for 2 persons at the Premier Compass Hotel in Odessa. The Grand Prix was awarded to Adelina Mishchenko for the song “Mama”.
And there is more to come! Every year during the festival theorganizers raise funds for summer health promotion of thefestival winners and the internally displaced children. This year, due to involvement of our key partners, we are able to present ALL winners of the festival with a holiday at the seaside, including all nominations, age and other categories, along withthe internally displaced children who have lived through some terrible war experience. And there are more than 200 children! It became possible due to our partners: the “Mother’s Heart” foundation, established by Shim Sil, Princess of South Korea, CF PA Batkivshchyna “The Heart of the Motherland”, Angelika Lobunska, head of Zhytomyr regional organization VO “Batkivschyna”, the “Sokar Energy Ukraine” international company, as well as the spectators who came to the gala concertand bought invitations.
We thank everyone for their generous donations! Together wehave raised 1,750,250 USD.
We express thanks to our prize partners: CF “The Mother’sHeart”, Charity Foundation VO Batkivshchyna “The Heart ofthe Motherland”, Premier Hotels and Resorts, the Oriflamecompany, the House of Toys, the European Association “TheRay of Hope”, Delta Sport and others.
And as the finishing touch it was the wish of Julia Tymoshenko, the festival’s “godmother”: “Peace on Earth and great victoriesto everyone!”