The tradition of charity balls to raise money for the needy is not very widespread in Tver. Probably because most people in provincial Russian cities do not have extra money. More familiar to our mentality are people on the streets with glass (and not only) boxes claiming to be collecting money for sick children. Even the most poor citizen will not spare 100-200 rubles, without thinking about the honesty of the “benefactors”. The media in Tver have already written many times about the fraudulent activities of those who make money out of other people’s misfortune, but the trouble is that our people, following the precepts of Professor Preobrazhensky, do not read newspapers not only at lunch, but do not read them at all.

But that’s not what we’re talking about now; we’re talking about the charity gala dinner that took place in Tver at the end of March. Its aim was to raise money to help specific children whose photos and life stories the guests of the evening had seen on the screens. So they knew exactly where their money would go.

The tradition of holding charity lunches and dinners in Tver has been promoted for many years by Nadezhda Trokhan, a native of our region and now a resident of London, founder of the Charitable Foundation Nadezda. The peculiarity of this public organization is that it operates both in Tver and in the Foggy Albion. For a long time, Nadezhda actively participated in charity events in Russia and abroad, and then she set up the foundation herself in her native city.

By the way, her first charity event was held exactly in London in 2015. Since then, about 10 such events with potential patrons have taken place: breakfasts, dinners, as well as sports competitions, festivals, and exhibitions aimed at raising funds for children in need. Last year it was, among other things, a mini-football tournament and a charity art evening to launch the Dream Skis program. Despite its humorous name, its goal is more than serious – to rehabilitate disabled children with the help of alpine skiing.

The Nadezhda Blagofond works in three areas: fundraising for medical equipment for children’s hospitals, targeted social assistance to disabled children, and support for gifted children.

It is difficult to change the world, but you can make the life of a particular child and his or her parents a little better,” says Nadezhda Trokhan.

Many residents of Tver support her in this: wealthy and not so wealthy. The March gala dinner gathered about 200 guests: well-known Tver businessmen, doctors, officials, and creative intellectuals. Paid entrance, paid lottery tickets, auction – these are the traditional sources of fundraising in the format of a charity dinner. Jewelry went under the hammer (for example, a ring with diamonds was purchased for 20 thousand rubles), a T-shirt signed by athletes (for 5 thousand rubles), as well as author’s brooches, premium cosmetics and perfumes, certificates to salons, medical centers and much more. One of the Tver clinics as a gift for the most expensive purchase from the auction awarded 2 certificates: male and female. Their owners will undergo an examination on the most modern equipment.

It should be said that many guests left with gifts thanks to the lottery and unusual contests – good intentions also deserve a reward. Lots for the lottery and auction were provided by both entrepreneurs and Tver designers.

The next morning, Nadezhda Trokhan announced the good news on social networks: the charity gala dinner was able to raise 265,500 rubles. They will be directed to two articles.

This is a payment for the rehabilitation course for two Sudilovsky sisters. The girls suffer from different forms of cerebral palsy. And if one of them can move independently, though with difficulty, the second one is unable to go to school without the help of her mother. From the medical point of view it is possible to help the girls. Thanks to the funds raised by the Charitable Foundation Nadezda, they will go to a military sanatorium in Yevpatoria.

Part of the money will be given to the pupils of the Tver School for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children. Thanks to this, they went to the All-Russian Festival of Sign Language Singing in St. Petersburg. The talented children took part in it last year and were among the laureates. For children with disabilities every such success is a step into the big world.

Thanks to everyone who came and supported us! – says and writes in social networks Nadezhda Trokhan. It is worth saying how many words of gratitude are expressed in response by parents and teachers of the schools helped by the Charitable Foundation Nadezda.

The Foundation’s immediate plans include opening a free diagnostic center in Tver for expectant mothers and babies to identify various fetal diseases early in pregnancy.