Osogovo
24 July - 4 August, 2023
In what has become an annual tradition, our Kyustendil youth enjoyed a week in a lodge and its surrounds on Osogovo mountain, not far from their Kyustendil home. The youth were divided into two groups, each group enjoying a week at the lodge in their turn. They enjoyed long walks, visited some nearbylandmarks such as Chapel of Apostles Peter and Paul, and gathered a lot of natural materialsfor their future art works. During their daily walks they gathered various herbs such as oregano and thyme, and had their fill of wild strawberries and raspberries. Back at the lodge, they played outdoor games and enjoyed free time outside in the fresh and cool mountain air. It has been an unseasonably hot summer in Kyustendil, so the coolness of the mountain climate was especially appreciated.
Jumbo Toy Store! As it's name implies, 'Jumbo' is a large children's store with not only toys but also children's arts and crafts items, stationeries, and more. This quickly outranked the bells as the highlight of the day. Some of the elder youth had shopping lists which they had prepared weeks in advance, while the younger children had no problem with spontaneity, and only struggled to stay within budget. The activity was not only a social integration exercise, but helped the kids understand the concept of money and shopping.
Acknowledgements
Our summer camps, and more to follow, are provided by the family of the late Peter Antonellis, past president of
Region Nine Housing Corporation in New Jersey, USA. Both the Antonellis family and R9 are long-time supporters of OSI's
special needs children in Bulgaria. The Antonellis family provides these forever memories for our kids as a living memorial to
Peter's own lifetime of activism and generosity.