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Sibur-Khimprom’s employees staged The Snow Queen for the children of Kudymkar

21 december 2022

Sibur-Khimprom’s employees have a good tradition of arranging a New Year’s Eve party for the wards of Special Children of Kudymkar, a local non-profit organization of parents of children with disabilities. This year was no exception.

This tradition came into being back in 2017 at the initiative of Maria Bushuyeva, a leading HR specialist. The New Year’s festive program for the special children from this remote area of Perm Krai that the young lady thought up together with other activists ended up winning the first-ever contest of SIBUR employees’ volunteering projects. Thanks to the grant support they received, corporate volunteers were able to pay their first visit to Kudymkar where they gave a master class on aqua-makeup, made Christmas tree decorations, put on a chemistry show and arranged for the children to meet Father Frost and Snegurochka, the snow maiden.

The next year our colleagues added a theatrical performance to their program. The children and their parents liked it so much that it was decided to put on a new fairy tale show every year.

This year we started preparing for the long-awaited trip as early as in November. This included developing a script, distributing roles, searching for costumes... It seemed at times that all caring employees of the plant joined the preparations. As an example, Vitaly Shipiguzov, a Grade 6 operator of the carbon monoxide and hydrogen mixture production unit, answered the call to collect New Year's gifts for children and contributed his own signature blossom honey!

Having gathered everything they needed, on December 17 SIBUR volunteers set out for Kudymkar, a settlement located 195 kilometers away from Perm. On their way there, they rehearsed a lot, learned how to crochet toy snow finches and great tits using a video tutorial, practiced balloon modeling to the tune of New Year-themed songs, and discussed their final preparations for the meeting with the children.

By arranging this festive party, we are also working a small miracle for our own behalf. It is not often that in our day-to-day lives we get to do something unselfishly, with full commitment and passion. It rarely happens that we get to put on a Father Frost costume, create something with our own hands, discover some facets of ourselves that we may not have even suspected about. It is so refreshing to see someone with whom just yesterday you were discussing matters related to equipment/budgets/training dance on the stage or teach children how to handcraft things. It's uplifting to see those who have been riding with us there for years, but it's just as great to see new miracle workers join us every year. For me personally, this means that the project will definitely live on to celebrate its tenth anniversary, Maria Bushuyeva, a leading specialist with Sibur-Khimprom's HR department and leader of the volunteer campaign, noted.

The volunteers presented to the children a show based on The Snow Queen fairy tale. SIBUR's Perm-based enterprise executives also took part in it. Father Frost was portrayed by Chief Engineer Maxim Lenkov, HR Director Irina Sheremetieva acted as Baba Yaga, while the Head of Reliability Management Service Alexander Churekov performed the role of the Tsar. The show was emceed by Yuri Markov, deputy chief engineer responsible for production.

For the first time, all participants of the volunteering trip became involved in the theatrical performance. Here is the cast of all other key characters: Nesmeyana - Maria Selezneva, Counselor - Anton Kosarev, the Snow Maiden - Ekaterina Zubova, the Snow Queen - Irina Chikulina, the Two from the Box - Almaz Dimasov and Eldar Adiatullin, the Devil - Diana Petukhova, the Mirror - Vladimir Zamorin. The rest of the participants portrayed forest animals who helped the actors hold contests and quizzes with members of the audience.

Following our performance last year, I had no doubt whatsoever that we would need to go this year as well! The kids were really looking forward to seeing us, and we are equally looking forward to making this trip. It was particularly memorable to see the children walk up to us and say they remembered us from the previous year and that they would be waiting for us next year! A huge THANK YOU to the whole team. The main goal is of course to make the children beam happily, while being a part of such an enthusiastic team is anyone’s dream! Maria Selezneva, Leading Specialist with Human Resources at Sibur-Khimprom JSC, noted.

The festival ended with a friendly roundelay dance around the beautifully decorated Christmas tree, with Christmas songs and sweet treats.

It all went really wonderfully! While you may not be professional actors, your performance was top notch! In fact, you've already become our good friends, as many parents agreed today. You were able to so easily connect with the kids, while Father Frost took the time to converse with the children. Thank you for arranging one more magical holiday for our children! Irina Tarasova, a member of the Governing Board of Special Children of Kudymkar, a local non-profit organization of parents caring for their handicapped children, commented.

Dear Sibur-Khimprom’s volunteers, thank you so much for the party you arranged for our children! Everything was great, our son Kostya was so happy! We enjoyed everything: the master classes, games, your show, and your presents. We always get a lot of positive emotions out of these events, both children and their parents. I wish you all a lot of happiness in the New Year, the best of success and good health to you and your families! May you have all the good luck in the world! Tamara Neshatayeva, the mother of Kostya, noted.

My daughter really enjoyed taking part in the master classes. The colorful Father Frost and the beautiful Snegurochka the snow maiden were delightful! We were also invited to taste some delicious honey! Everything went very warmly, and we would like to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for this wonderful day! Tatiana Fadeeva, the mother of Masha, commented.

Thank you for not forgetting about us, and for bringing our children so much joy every year! You have been visiting us for several years now and this means the world to all of us. Your parties always go so smoothly! We wish you all a Happy New Year! May you enjoy the best of health, prosperity and peace! Anastasia Kudasheva, the mother of Stepan, shared.

A month of preparations flew by as if in an instant. The goal has been achieved: hundreds of children's smiles and bear hugs! All this was made possible thanks to the kind hearts and responsiveness of our colleagues and friends of the company. Now we know for a fact that there is a miracle in each of us, and that the key thing is to act!

This was one of the most cohesive teams I've seen in quite some time. They all carried inside them so much love, support, and passion to make each child feel good. I had had no idea that it would be even possible. The show was a great success, with the children responding with all sincerity, playing and dancing. My colleagues whom I usually see at work sessions, video conferences or at staff meetings played their parts and genuinely enjoyed the process. It felt so good to see that a great girl's idea is capable of bringing on board more and more people every year. And here I am, too, here in Kudymkar, together with all our friends and colleagues. Maria could not come here this year, but her cause lives on and keeps giving warmth to children and adults alike. The project is alive thanks to the desire and wishes of all these caring and passionate people. Thanks to everyone involved in making this New Year's miracle happen! Varvara Melekestseva, manager and supervisor of SIBUR's People Changing the World corporate volunteering program, noted.