Мы Вместе & Tree of Wishes: Virtuous Humanity Still Exists

We Are Together—Мы Вместе—International Award proclaims the Header.

Putin selecting a wish from the Tree of Wishes, an annual national charity event. A short video of him making his selections can be viewed here.

There are a few times when being Russian President is enjoyable as for a short time all the issues of governance and global problems disappear. And given current events, I assume Mr. Putin did enjoy the recess given the videos of these two events that are linked. As the article associated with the video linked above explains:

Russian President Vladimir Putin took part in the All-Russian charity event "Tree of Wishes" during a visit to the International Forum of Civic Participation "We Are Together", the head of state will fulfill the wishes of three children who want to visit St. Petersburg, to a rehearsal of the Moiseyev folk dance ensemble and try out a flight simulator….

The All-Russian Charity Event "Wishing Tree" is an annual charity event in which people who want to do good give gifts and fulfill the wishes of those who need help. The action was organized by the charity project "Dream with me". In 2018, the project entered the presidential platform "Russia is a country of opportunities" and acquired the status of a federal one.

The website for the project is here and is open to all peoples, not just Russians. The same can be said of the We Are Together organization which is international. Information about the organization and its prizes fan be found here in English.

Vladimir Putin presented the Volunteer of the Year 2024 statuette to Maria Karpenko, head of the Second Life volunteer movement.

While knowing what Putin and the winners said at the awards ceremony, the fourteen-minute video says a lot even when you don’t know Russian and can be found here along with the following translated transcript in Russian:

Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon, dear friends!

I am very glad to see you all in Moscow. We have recently started celebrating this day: Volunteer Day. I wanted to say "holiday", but somehow the word "holiday" doesn't really fit in with your activity, because it is well known that you always work, both on holidays and on weekdays, always there and when your help is needed: Thank you.

But during this time, since 2017, serious, absolutely visible changes have taken place in society. What do I mean? Two-thirds of our citizens are engaged in volunteer work. When you think about it, a very simple idea comes to mind: it is that this is not something new, but a revival of the old traditions of the peoples of our country.

Because mercy, support for those who need support, has always been present in the hearts of our people throughout our vast, vast Homeland for centuries. And the fact that young people are doing this is doubly, trebly important, because it means that young generations are picking up what was in the soul of our ancestors–-our grandfathers, grandmothers, great-grandfathers and so on, an extremely important thing. This strengthens our country from within.

What did you notice? Now I have people behind me who have passed through difficult trials in our new, historically old regions, and have passed through difficult pages of their own lives, the lives of their relatives, friends, and relatives. And then, when the situation was no less difficult in the border areas, we went there to use our experience of supporting and helping people. You know, it is also important that real help is provided, but the content of this case is also important, and the help itself is important. She emphasizes that we are all one big, powerful, cohesive family, and this is the key to all our success, including at the front.

And it is nice that you are engaged in this activity in almost all areas. Of course, today the support of our guys in the combat zone, on the line of contact, is of particular importance. First of all, I know that this is not safe, and I bow my head to the memory of those who even gave their lives in the course of this work, in the course of your work, in the course of such work that you carry out, and there are some, unfortunately, but this also happens sometimes.

It is very important that you raise such a layer as the attitude of society, including our youngest citizens, to the moral support of our children. These are the more than three million letters that are sent to the war zone, as you know, the soldiers carry [them] on their hearts. I've just been told that video materials are sent by small children in support, but even from there the answer comes, feedback comes – it's very cool. Families should always be taken care of and never forgotten.

But not only that. We have a big country. And as in any large country, there are many issues and problems that require the attention and support of people who are not indifferent, such as you, I mean the environment, assistance to homeless animals, support and assistance to people who need medical support. Are there many or few such questions? There’s a sea. And it is always very important for any person who needs support to feel that there are caring people nearby, help and support, as they say in the army, an elbow connection between those who stand nearby. Therefore, it is very good that you are doing this and infecting hundreds of thousands, and maybe even millions of people, with this work.

I know that this year it coincided with the Day of the Volunteer, which we hold within the framework of the Commonwealth of Independent States. I would like to welcome all our friends and colleagues from the CIS. Soon we will have an informal CIS summit, which is already a traditional New Year's Eve event. We will definitely also talk about this topic and think together about what needs to be done in addition to support your work and your efforts.

But I will not hide it, I was even surprised by the geography and number of participants in the volunteer competition: 50 thousand applications, representatives of 142 countries, and from North America, Latin America, Europe, Africa, Asia–-so many people took part in this competition! This is an indicator that such an activity, such a noble mission that you are carrying out and implementing, without any doubt, has no borders. And this is what unites the whole world. I would also like to thank you for this and welcome all the participants of this contest without exception.

Now we will move on to the most solemn moment–-awarding the winners.

Thank you very much, good luck!

Elena Arkhipova [one of the emcees]: Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich,

We ask you to traditionally award the volunteer of the year.

Volunteer of the Year 2024 is Maria Karpenko, Kurchatov city, Kursk region.

Her foundation "Vtoraya zhIzn" unites more than 10 thousand volunteers. Thanks to Maria and her team, more than one thousand square meters of camouflage nets were made, 15 tons of humanitarian supplies were collected and delivered to the SVO zone.

Maria took part in the evacuation of residents of Suja at the risk of her life and was able to take out more than 120 people. Maria is an example and pride of the volunteer movement in our country.

Maria, you have the floor.

Maria Karpenko: Thank you very much for the honor, but one in the field is not a warrior. This award is earned by the sweat and blood of a huge number of volunteers, volunteers of the Second Life movement from the city of Kurchatov.

Sorry, I'm not a public person, but this is a very exciting moment.

I really want to thank our home front workers and, of course, our frontline volunteers. And I really want to thank the Association of SVO Volunteers from the city of Novorossiysk, who came to our aid at the right moment when it was very scary in the Kursk region, and they still remain our supporters.

Vladimir Vladimirovich, I would also like to thank and congratulate you on this holiday, because only a truly volunteer heart, which is burning with love for the Motherland, for people and for everything that exists, can take on such a responsibility and shoulder such a burden.

We love you, we are with you and we are together.

Thank you.

Elena Arkhipova: Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich,

On August 22, 2024, in accordance with your Decree, the Order of Courage was awarded to Fyodor Gerashchenko, a volunteer of the Popular Front, a representative of the Archangel Tactical Training Center, who showed courage and dedication during the evacuation of residents of the Kursk region.

Fedor is with us today. It will be a great honor for us if you present Fyodor Gerashchenko, Deputy Head of the Regional Executive Committee of the All-Russian Public Movement, with the Order of Courage on stage today, in the presence of his comrades, participants of the International Forum #MyVmeste .

Fyodor, you have the floor.

F.Gerashchenko: Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich, Dear friends!

It's a big part of me to receive such a high award.

To be honest, it's not my first time standing on stage, I even have the call sign "Artist". I love standing on stage. But, to be honest, I didn't even think that I would ever be lucky enough to be in such a plan.

In such cases, they say "thank you". First of all, I would like to say thank you to those people who stand behind me, to those people who always support me, who are always waiting for me and see my full involvement in this process. First of all, this is my family. Thank you to my wife, my three daughters, who are always anxiously waiting for me at home. I also wanted to say thank you to my parents, who, I think, raised me to be a real man. Even a "man" was given to confirm this.

I would like to say a big thank you to my team of archangels, which works day after day to ensure that people, every person in our country, are able to help their neighbor, save his life, and as many of our guys as possible returned from the special military operation zone alive and well.

I would also like to thank the People's Front team. This is a team of strong and, most importantly, properly motivated people.

Of course, thank you very much, Mr Putin, for choosing the right path for our country. We are with you, Comrade Commander-in-Chief, and God is with us. Let's win all of them!

Vladimir Putin: I have just spoken to you and expressed my gratitude to those volunteers who risk themselves, their lives and their health to help others.

Fyodor is one of them. He now remembered about his loved ones who are waiting for him. And it is very correct, because I have said this many times, and you all understand it perfectly: everything comes from the family.

From the first days of a person's life, parents lay in him the fundamental principles on which his entire subsequent life will be based.

When I mentioned that people risk themselves, I would also like to recall what happened to our awardee today. The three of them came under fire while rendering assistance, and two of his comrades were killed, and he was seriously wounded.

Fyodor, of course, did the right thing by remembering his relatives. And I want us to never forget about those guys who are not with us today, and about their loved ones. A low bow to them.

At the level of the Government and the regions of the Russian Federation, it sounds very everyday, but nevertheless it is important. I want their relatives, the relatives of those guys with whom Fyodor performed his duty, not to be forgotten by either the federal or regional authorities. Once again, a low bow to them. Words of gratitude to all the people who fulfill their duty to our country.

I congratulate you on the Day of the volunteer and all volunteers. All the best! Thank you very much for your work. [My Emphasis]

More emphasis was likely merited when we think about what’s happening in the world, how Putin places great weight on the importance of family and the support that families give to their members and to other families. Take a moment to reflect on those values and then compare them to what’s being done in West Asia and other parts of the world by a very small sect of people. If you’re anything like me, it makes one weep and fill with anger at the same time. As an historian, I’m well aware this sort of behavior by a small sect of people has been ongoing for many centuries, and that the increasing ability to destroy and kill in massive numbers rises that the will to stop that sect is also rising. Unfortunately, I’m also aware that sect cannot be appeased by any means or sidelined by truces or ceasefires as they will just use the time provided to regroup and attack Humanity again. In other words, that sect must be destroyed. And it won’t be easy because the sect mostly resides within the Outlaw US Empire, its mother the UK, and their satellites.

However, I don’t want to end this on a sour note. Recall what Putin said about the numbers of Russians who volunteer and the family values and their importance he emphasized, while thinking what you can do to make a difference. The make a wish tree’s website mentioned how karma is heightened by doing good deeds—the more love you give the more you get. A great many poems in the form of prose and music exist urging that behavior onto our fellows that we also must express via deeds. I recall part of the Scout Motto was to do a good deed daily—mutualism as one of our Gym rats will note. There’s a lot more Good in the world than the cynics think and media recognizes. I smile as I think of the Central Asian woman my wife has taken to following who interjects as many double entendres into her narrative as she can while showing how to create many excellent West/Central Asian recipes—something few would ever expect but clearly comes from within her heart and soul.

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In the spirit of this article, please donate to your local homeless support organization.