Yesterday was one of those days that stay with you long after the balloons have been taken down, the flowers have been placed in vases, and the last guests have left.
We celebrated 10 years since “Equilibrium” took on the responsibility for managing the United Children’s Services “Sluncho” – the “Mother and Baby” Unit, the Day Centre for Children and Young People with Disabilities, and the Family-Type Accommodation Centre for Children Requiring Permanent Medical Care.
Ten years are not simply a number. They are thousands of days, hundreds of children’s stories, countless encounters, difficult decisions, small and great victories, and, above all, people who have chosen every day to stand beside children and families.
And that is precisely why we celebrated together with everyone who is part of these stories.
We received a congratulatory address from Mr Pencho Milkov, Mayor of Ruse Municipality, presented by Eleonora Petrova, Senior Expert at the Municipality’s Social Activities Department. We welcomed many friends, partners, donors and colleagues, and, of course, our most important guests were the parents and our little “Slunchos”.
Together, we looked back on part of the journey we have shared over the past ten years. We watched a retrospective film about life and work at “Sluncho”, created by one of our volunteers – a film containing not simply footage, but moments from the everyday lives of the children, their faces and their stories.
There were many words of gratitude, too.
We presented “Friends of Sluncho” certificates to people and organisations who have stood beside us over the years – representatives of Ruse Municipality, the Child Protection Department, Associate Professor Dr Eva Tsonkova, Head of the Paediatric Department at Kanev University Hospital, Dr Kozhuharov, paediatric surgeon, as well as our partners and donors.
Because good care is never the work of one person or one organisation. It happens when people trust one another, work together and do not give up when things get difficult.
We also presented special “Temple of Play” certificates to former and current members of our team who have made an exceptional contribution to the care of the children at “Sluncho”.
This was our way of saying a big “Thank you!” to the people who have left a part of themselves here. To the people who know that care cannot be measured only by activities carried out and tasks completed. It is in the way you hold a child’s hand. In patience. In play. In noticing a small change. In believing in a child before they have learned to believe in themselves.
And a celebration without children’s voices simply would not have been a “Sluncho” celebration.
Congratulations were offered by the children from the “Sun” Children’s Vocal Group, led by Natalia Konstantinova, by one of the children from the Day Centre, by parents of children using the services, and by mothers from the “Mother and Baby” Unit.
There was music, laughter, presents, flowers and lots of balloons.
But the best thing was something else.
We were together.
Because over these ten years we have learned something very important – the service is the place, but it is the people who turn it into “Sluncho”.
Thank you to everyone who was with us yesterday.
And to everyone who has been with us throughout these ten years.
We continue.
