Children's laughter, Funny Olympics, and Lek Sunshine Games created a great atmosphere in Maribor

2. 9. 2019

On the last day of the summer holidays, children participating at the Funny Olympics and Lek Sunshine Games were filling the air in Maribor with laughter and joy. As part of the so-called Holidays with Friends, as the Maribor Association of Friends of Youth (FYA) named their summer activities, 100 children from the humanitarian initiative A Wink at the Sun®, enjoyed free holidays financed with a help of FIHO funds and other donation campaigns by SAFY and FYA Maribor. The Wink at the Sun initiative by the Slovenian Association of Friends of Youth (SAFY), enabling free holidays for children coming from socially disadvantaged families, has also been supported by Lek for 20 years now.

Lek Sunshine Games are part of the humanitarian campaign A Wink at the Sun, arranged by SAFY and the pharmaceutical company Lek to enable holidays for children from struggling families. “We are very proud of our 20-year-old partnership with FYA Maribor as we have joined forces on our mission to help children coming from underprivileged families to enjoy their unforgettable holiday at the sea – as every child should have the right to. Time and again, we are encouraged to foster this partnership by the stories of children that we hear from the volunteers. In addition, a growing number of our associates volunteer every year within the Community Partnership Day to help maintain the holiday resort and its surroundings in Pacug. Lek Sunshine Games once again provided high spirits and children’s laughter to make a fresh start back to school,” said Mojca Pavlin, Corporate Communications at Lek. 

With SAFY, holidays in Maribor are always fun

During the long summer holidays, there were plenty of activities going on as part of the Holidays with Friends to keep the children entertained in Maribor. The activities started already during the Lent Festival at the end of June with the natural science and sensory workshops at the Art camp in the city park. Later on, the activities continued in the Centre for Creativity of Youth in Maribor (DUM) until the end of August. The children were hiking and strolling on more than 42 trips around Maribor and the surroundings and participated in a number of art workshops, including dance, film and theatre workshops, summer school of photography, modelling workshops, handmade cosmetics workshops, lego robotics, sewing, crocheting, cookery classes, little school of basketball, yoga, relaxation sessions… Enough space to play and chat was also available in the FYA playroom and hangout area. 

In total, more than 6,000 children attended activities during holidays in July and August in Maribor. Seven hundred children from Maribor and the surroundings attended several activities, whereas 230 children were included in the holiday care facilities organized for the first time. “We are satisfied with the number of children visiting our activities and happy to see that parents put their trust in us. In particular, we are very grateful to all the 230 volunteers for all their work with FYA Maribor – we simply could not do what we do without them,” said the president of FYA Maribor, Nina Babič, at the press conference held during the Funny Olympics and Lek Sunshine Games.