The Rotary Club of Bishkek held a charity concert of classical music.
The Bishkek Rotary Club summarizes the results of the charity evening of classical music held to raise funds for the "Gift a Cow" project. In 2016, cows will be donated free of charge to 107 families from regions of Kyrgyzstan where children with disabilities live. This way, they will be able to improve their financial situation and provide useful dairy products in the children's diet.
Rotary International Club is an international organization uniting businesspeople from around the world and dedicated to serving society based on the general principle "If you can achieve something on your own, help someone else do it" and the motto "Service to others above self-interest." The first club was established in 1905 by Chicago resident and lawyer Paul Harris, and by 1921, the club had representatives on all continents. Its popularity is easily explained: the movement is non-political, non-religious, and open to all cultures, races, and faiths. Rotarians engage in community service, providing humanitarian aid to those in dire need in key areas such as poverty and hunger, environmental protection, illiteracy, and violence. The organization also implements educational projects aimed at youth, providing opportunities for learning and international exchange for students, schoolchildren, young teachers, and other specialists for professional development. Currently, more than 32,000 clubs operate in over 200 countries, including Kyrgyzstan since 1999. Membership is open not only to businesspeople but to any citizen wishing to help others.
The Kyrgyz Rotary Club primarily works in three areas: helping orphans, children with disabilities, and the elderly. For several years, they have been conducting a charity campaign called "Gift a Cow" for families in regions of Kyrgyzstan where children with disabilities live. With the help of donations and funds raised at charity concerts and evenings, cows are purchased for families with disabled children, which not only helps the family survive and prevents them from placing their special child in an orphanage but also provides nutritious dairy products in the child's diet. Each of the needy families is carefully selected and vetted, and assistance continues even after the cow is delivered to their home. Club members visit project participants, monitor the condition of the animals, and can provide support if necessary—from financing the rental of a breeding bull for the cow to consultations on business planning and providing the family with a separator for processing milk. In 2016, it was decided to gift 100 cows to needy families. Each cow costs 30,000 soms. Funds were raised not only through donations and ticket sales for the charity evening of classical music but also through the sale of lottery tickets, with prizes including expensive gifts, discounts at renowned brand boutiques, and even a trip for two to Turkey. Additionally, several lots were auctioned off, and items of interior decor were presented by the club's partners and friends, with proceeds from their sale also contributing to the project. A video report provided to the evening's guests showcased how the funds would be spent and highlighted the project's relevance.
Most attendees of the evening were concerned citizens and representatives of the business community. Many of them have collaborated with the Rotary Club on multiple joint initiatives.
- We actively support the club's activities and believe that the "Gift a Cow" project can genuinely help families with disabled children resolve some of their problems, - said Ivan Turkovsky, Deputy General Director of the Sierra coffee shop chain, who attended the charity event. – We have been working with the club for several years, have seen the results of their activities, and therefore know that these are not the kind of people who would misuse the funds received, to put it mildly. We have also provided charitable support to the Sokuluk orphanage on a monthly basis, and our coffee shop chain has hosted charity events, with donation boxes set up… But the "Gift a Cow" project has generated the most interest. Not only from us but also from our foreign guests. Upon learning about this project, many of them decided to make donations and left us money to pass on to the club for purchasing cows. We contributed both today and made donations from our organization.
Tickets were also purchased by representatives of the diplomatic missions of the USA, Germany, Kazakhstan, the UK, Italy, and republican government structures. In return, the organizers provided patrons with a buffet from the best restaurants, coffee shops, confectioneries, and beverage producers in the republic, as well as a worthy and generous musical gift. The evening was opened by young students from the "School of Talents." Then, both national talents and world-renowned stars, who have conquered La Scala, Covent Garden, and Carnegie Hall, performed classical pieces on the stage of the new AUKA building, having come from Germany for the concert at the invitation of the Prima public fund. The soprano, Jamila Raimbekova, a native of Kyrgyzstan, and tenor Gary Davislim performed arias from works by Handel, Vivaldi, and Mozart, accompanied by the presidential chamber orchestra "Manas" under the direction of conductor Michael Rolf Cook. Before each piece, the maestro, with the help of a translator, shared some insights about the work to be heard. For instance, guests learned a lot about "The Magic Flute," the peculiarities of writing Handel's "concerto grosso," and the oratorio "Judith." Each piece was met with applause, but the final composition by Mozart, with a title that is difficult to translate and pronounce, was particularly well-received, which Cook translated as "Please accept the words of gratitude from those who have supported me." The duet of Davislim and Raimbekova made the audience literally rise from their seats, applauding. Amid cries of "Bravo!" and thunderous applause that seemed to threaten the building's ceiling, the honored performers left the stage. However, they heeded the audience's wishes and returned for an encore, performing the last composition, which triggered another explosion of emotions.
After the applause subsided, and the singers and conductor finally retreated backstage, the solemn moment of awarding prizes from the lottery tickets arrived. Despite the fact that not all tickets were winning, there was no disappointment or envy on the faces of the evening's guests: they understood that their money would go to a good cause. And good always returns like a boomerang.
