Address of Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov on the occasion of the Volunteer Day on December,5

Dear Tatarstan citizens!

I welcome and congratulate you on an important date in the holiday calendar of our country - the Volunteer Day.

Initiated by Russian President Vladimir Putin most recently, the holiday aims to reward the work of people sincerely devoted to selfless service for the benefit of society.

Modern volunteers of our republic are worthy successor of traditions of the volunteer movement.

Like their elder comrades, who selflessly fought in the divisions of the people’s volunteer army during the World War II, worked at clean up campaigns and top-priority projects, as well as in the ranks of the Timur movement, they develop the main directions of volunteering - social and cultural, military-patriotic and environmental, contribute to the establishment of civil solidarity in society.

Today, there are tens of thousands of children, boys and girls, united in various public associations in the ranks of Tatarstan volunteers

It is impossible to imagine the holding of major cultural and sports events and public forums without their participation.

At the same time, the work of volunteers, patronizing veterans and the disabled, patients and children raised in orphanages, citizens who need public attention is especially important.

There are many fight search teams among the volunteers who return the names of heroes from nonexistence and arrange the burial places of war and labor veterans.

Such valuable qualities of a responsible person as citizenship and patriotism, initiative and devotion to the assigned task, compassion for the neighbor are brought up in the ranks of the volunteering.

That is why the state and society always highly value the activities of volunteers, recognize them as bearers of living continuity of times and generations.

Dear friends!

I sincerely congratulate Tatarstan volunteers and all people of goodwill on the holiday. I wish you cohesion, self-confidence, new creative ideas for the benefit of our great Motherland and native republic!