1 April this year was 15th anniversary of Novaya Gazeta. Shortly before that, some of our celebrities – sportsmen, politicians, film directors, and musicians – had handed us unique things. Vladislav Tretyak contributed a jersey and a souvenir plate with his autograph on it, Alina Kabaeva gave the Indian clubs used by her during practice sessions, Alexei German presented a wooden scoop used when shooting a film “Difficult To Be God”, Artemy Troitsky donated a jerkin by the most famous Latvian couturier, Anastasia Myskina and Svetlana Zhurova brought their sports wear, the TsSKA club gave up a football ball they played with in the Champions League, the famous football player Oleg Blokhin gave us a ball with his autograph on it, the cosmonaut Yuri Baturin sent an envelope canceled by the Russian Post in the cosmodrome of Baikonur, Vladimir Ryzhkov gifted his watercolor, and the Billys Band presented a rarity hat.     

Our outstanding people gave all those artifacts with the only purpose of giving help to ill children. Two months ago we began to tell the stories of children needing urgent medical aid. We intended to pass one of the above mentioned rarities to the reader who has transferred the biggest amount for some child treatment. But you, dear Novaya Gazeta readers, you amazed us. We had known that our audience is the cleverest, thinking and free. And now we got another epithet of “noble”.   

It turned out that no additional incentive is needed for good works. You have been transferring money to the parents’ accounts without leaving your details. You advised us to make up an improvised competition between those who really have helped some child with a significant amount. We state with responsibility that any amount donated by you is significant not only for the child’s health but also for the health of the whole community. For while there are people wiling to give up their last thousand ruble for saving a child, the country still has the future.      

And yet we cannot hold the precious things above. So we have decided to take your advice and offer to the newspaper’s friends to get in competition during our celebrations of the jubilee that will be held in the end of September. There will be no glamorous corporative party. The celebration will be dedicated to those who has been with us during these 15 years and helped the newspaper by word and deed. We will gratefully accept the congratulations from our friends and we will try to help those whose relatives are not able to deal with the trouble alone. We will tell you without fail about how everything went.      

And thank all of you muchly again!