A Kindergarten, A Paintbrush, and A Mayor

We were invited to a kindergarten school on the Ukraine border in a small farming community near the Ukraine border.

The principal was excited to meet with us having been made aware of LDS Charities and prepared a welcome party with all the parents of the children invited to school.

We were treated to singing and dancing by the young children and a hearty Slovak cabbage soup, stuffed cabbage rolls, and fresh bread. All made from the local residents and grown in their fields.

During our tour of the old schoolhouse, we were shown areas that black mold had caused problems along crevices in walls and ceilings. Replacing a few drafty windows resulted in construction that also needed to be painted. The local residents, most poor farmers did not have funds for paint and supplies to give

the interior a fresh coat of paint. We asked how the painting would be accomplished, and the village mayor stated the parents will help do the work. He added that he will be the first to volunteer and he would call upon the parents to help.

Our good mayor advised that he attended this school as a little boy and he has fond memories here. 

The mayor advised there are no businesses in the small village and very few funds to keep the school going but it is the pride and joy of the community. 

Once the project was approved LDS charities provided enough paint and supplies to paint the entire school interior. There were more than a dozen volunteers involved in the project including fathers, mothers, teachers, grandparents, and the mayor himself.

One grandmother has artistic talent and volunteered to paint colorful Disney characters on the walls. We were grateful to see so many parents willing to participate in service at the school.