In Irkutsk, the annual Back to School campaign has begun for first graders from large and low income families. This year 400 children will receive backpacks, stationery, and other needed items. In Angarsk, gifts have already been given to children from the Invatursport club. Organizers say the campaign helps families who find it especially hard to prepare a child for September 1. This year the school kit also includes the useful Young Pedestrian Guide with traffic rules and other needed pages.

The “Gather a Child for School” campaign has kicked off for first-graders from large and low-income families. The Y. Ten Charitable Foundation holds such a campaign every year.
The “first-grader kit” includes a spacious backpack, a diary, an art album, colored paper, cardboard, modeling clay, a pencil case, paints, markers, and more. In total, 400 children will receive backpacks this year. This was reported by the press service of State Duma deputy Sergei Ten.
In some cities, there are already happy recipients of the new stationery. As part of the public initiatives campaign in Angarsk, children of members of the “Invatursport” club became the owners of the coveted backpacks. The club’s head, Elena Gratsinskaya, said that the foundation helps people with disabilities hold various competitions, and the “Gather a Child for School” campaign was held in the city for the first time.
“Everyone really liked the celebration and the gifts; the kids were energized with positivity for the whole year. The backpack contains absolutely everything a first-grader needs, and the children are delighted with the brand-new bright stationery. By September 1, 15 children will receive gifts in total; all of them are being raised in large and low-income families, where parents with disabilities often find it difficult to prepare a child for school, so such a campaign is a lifesaver,” Elena Gratsinskaya noted.
Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Yuri Ten Charitable Foundation Sergei Ten said that the project has existed for 20 years and expands its reach every year.
“We carefully monitor the ‘contents’ of the backpacks and their quality. We try every time to organize a bright celebration for the children. From time to time, various partners join us.

For example, this year, in addition to the ‘first-grader kit,’ young schoolchildren will receive a special booklet, ‘Memo for a Young Pedestrian.’ The booklet was developed as part of a joint project by the Ten Foundation and the Traffic Police for Irkutsk, ‘Caution, Children.’ The small book not only explains the rules of the road, but also contains useful pages with a class schedule, multiplication table, and friends’ contact information. I believe this addition will be useful and interesting for young residents of Irkutsk,” Sergei Ten emphasized.
As a reminder, every year at the end of summer, the Yuri Ten Charitable Foundation will hold a big celebration for Irkutsk first-graders at the Sukachev Estate.