A friendly young bear named Motya lived in a village where he had made many friends. Together they would swim in the river, play skittles at the edge of the forest, and in the evenings, sitting on a bench, they would share their impressions of the day.
My brother is a volunteer!
Boasted Tishka the young wolf (he was nicknamed this for his quiet, calm nature).
Who did he what to?
Asked Dusy the squirrel.
Not 'to', it's vol-un-teer.
Tishka repeated it syllable by syllable.
I heard his teacher call him that. She said: 'Tolik, congratulations, you're a real volunteer now'.
And what does your brother the vol-un-teer do?
Asked Motya.
I don't know, but he's always disappearing somewhere. Maybe he's a superhero who eats ice cream?
Or maybe he fights the villain Bragnik!
Dusy chimed in.
Or maybe he's Spider-Man and constantly saves the world.
The friends let their imaginations run wild.
I've got an idea! I suggest we follow my brother and catch him red-handed!
Exclaimed Tishka.
Brilliant, I'm in!
Supported Dusy.
Early in the morning the friends gathered, armed themselves with toy pistols, sabres and ropes, just in case.
And so, Tolik left his house and headed along the street. Peering from behind the corner of Tishka's house, the friends watched the volunteer.
Tolik went into a shop.
Aha, for ice cream. Let's continue observing.
Whispered Dusy.
Tolik came out of the shop with two full bags and headed towards the old quarter, where there were half-ruined houses that had seen better days. Only three elderly ladies lived on the outskirts.
So he's got his headquarters in these ruins, he's set up nicely. And look at all those groceries he bought—he must be planning to stay for a while.
Motya shared his suspicions.
But, to everyone's surprise, Tolik first went to one elderly lady, left a bag with her, then went to the second lady and gave her the remaining groceries.
I don't understand what he's doing?
Stammered Tishka.
Meanwhile, Tolik went to the third lady's house. And the friends, creeping up to her window, watched as Tolik expertly wrung out a floor cloth and washed the old lady's floor.
Ah, maybe he decided to earn some money—save up for a new bicycle.
Sighed Tishka.
But as she saw Tolik out, the old lady hugged him and sincerely thanked him for his help.
He didn't take any money. Tolik is just helping for free, is that it?
Tishka's jaw dropped in surprise.
Tolik, wait, stop! Explain to us!
The friends called out, chasing after Tolik.
What are you doing, Tolik? Why are you helping these frail old ladies?
Tishka pressed his brother.
Because they have no one else to help them. They're lonely and have no family. I visit them, bring them groceries, help with chores, and sometimes we just chat. I tell them the news about what's happening in the world and in our village.
Tolik replied.
So you feel sorry for them?
You could say that.
Tolik answered.
Come with me. We have a volunteer movement at our school. Kind kids who aren't afraid of hard work and want to be useful to society—that is, to other people—join our ranks. Come on, I'll introduce you to them. We're having a meeting right now.
Volunteer Tolik brought his friends to school and they entered a spacious classroom:
Hello everyone, I've brought some friends who want to know what volunteers in our village do.
Hello, I'm Katya. My friend Asya and I are library volunteers. We present new books that arrive at the library, remind kids who've forgotten to return their books, and organise creative evenings.
A sweet little cat greeted them.
I'm Misha. My friends and I—athletes Kolya, Kostya, Seva and Vika—patrol the village and keep watch over public order. If needed, we call the police, but that happens very rarely. People respect us and are a bit afraid of us.
A young bear introduced himself.
And we're volunteers at the community centre.
And we're hospital volunteers.
We want to help people too. Do you take everyone?
Asked Dusy the squirrel.
Of course, friends, join our volunteer movement. We have plenty of work. Soon we'll be hosting sports competitions in our village. We need volunteer assistants to help the organisers. But since you're still young, you'll be junior volunteers—that means you'll be assistants to the volunteers.
Suggested Tolik.
And they'll trust us? We'll help the athletes?
Asked Motya.
Of course, volunteers help everyone. We'll train you a bit and prepare you, and you'll bring joy to the other residents of our village!
Now that's super happiness for everyone!!!
Exclaimed Motya.
That's cooler than superheroes!
Continued Tisha.
And so our friends became super volunteers.
