May 9, Vitebsk /Olga Bogacheva - BELTA/. More than 4,000 symbols of Victory have adorned the homes of veterans and war participants in the Vitebsk region, the Vitebsk Regional Committee of the BRSM told a BELTA correspondent. The symbols of the campaign - red stars with the inscription "Thank you for Victory!", handmade - were distributed by members of the youth organisation from May 5 to 9 as part of the republican patriotic campaign of the same name. In addition, the young people presented the elderly with greeting cards, souvenirs, provided household assistance, and were warmly welcomed in educational institutions. "Veterans are a living embodiment of courage and patriotism for the youth, so on the eve of Victory Day, BRSM activists did everything possible to ensure they received maximum attention," the committee stressed. Significant work was also carried out before the holiday to improve places of military glory, burial sites, memorials, and complexes. "It is important not only to honour the war participants who are with us today, but also to remember those who did not live to see this great date," the committee added. The "Thank you for Victory!" campaign is designed to foster civic consciousness in the younger generation, respect for the history and heroic past of their Motherland, and to develop an active life stance in children and adolescents. Work with veterans and the elderly is carried out by the primary organisations of the regional branch of the BRSM on a regular basis. Over 6,000 veterans, war participants, elderly people and victims of war consequences, and citizens living in boarding houses for the elderly and disabled are assigned to BRSM members. They are provided with assistance in cleaning houses and adjacent territories, chopping firewood, cultivating garden plots, managing household affairs, etc. For this purpose, more than a dozen different campaigns are held: "Address of Care", "A Veteran Lives Nearby", "Hand in Hand", "Warmth of the Soul", "Thank you for Peace", "Feat in Legacy", "Youth to Veterans", "We will help as much as we can", "Hurry to do good", "Week of Good Deeds". A telephone hotline operates in the territorial committees of the organisation for prompt information gathering on assistance provided to the elderly. -0-

BELTA