Penza, 10 August 2015. PenzaNews. Wheelchair users, living in the Penza center “Kvartal Lui” visited the family interactive camp in the Olympic Village in Sochi.

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“From the creation of “Kvartal Lui” we set the goal to take our students to the seaside. But due to the crisis that seemed completely unrealistic,” Maria Lvova-Belova, director of the public organization “Blagovest” posted on Facebook on Monday, August 10.

She added that such vacation in the adapted environment where all facilities were built for the Paralympics, is quite expensive.

“[...] As it turned out the trip was partially financed by the show “Uralskie pelmeni,” and we paid only half the cost. Still, the amount was rather big for us — 16,800 rubles for each voucher, plus transportation costs and meals for 14 days. And how glad were we that our friends, partners and simply compassionate people supported us,” the head of the charitable organization noted.

According to Maria Lvova-Belova, during the trip the disabled were accompanied by the volunteers, without whom the students of “Kvartal Lui” would not have made the journey.

“When our united group arrived at the station, the first disappointment was the lift in the car for wheelchair users. It turned out to be out of order, and we literally threw the children into the train at 1.5 meters height. Further more. It turned out that the car for wheelchair users can comfortably carry only two wheelchairs, the others had to travel in normal conditions, that is, narrow corridors where wheelchairs do not pass. But here again were our brave volunteers, they carried the students of the center in their arms to the required place. It could not spoil the euphoria from the sea, which we saw in the windows of our car at 5.00. On the platform it was clear that here all the staff knew how to work with people in wheelchairs: helped to get out of the train and into the bus, explained everything,” she wrote.

The director of “Blagovest” added that the Olympic village surprised with its European level of service.

Maria Lvova-Belova stressed that in 14 days the young people visited the dolphinarium, aquarium, museums, musical “Carmen” with the famous Russian figure skaters, amusement park, as well as the mountains.

“The lift took the children to the height of 2,400 meters. And there, at the top, we rode the open lifts. At the foot of the mountains the students visited a water park with pools and jacuzzis,” she noted.

According to the head of the charitable organization, the trip to Sochi made the residents of “Kvartal Lui” believe in themselves even more.

Penza socio-educational center for children with disabilities “Kvartal Lui” opened on November 1, 2014. It involves living, learning and working.