New Year Congratulations from “Create Yourself”

At the run-up to the New Year’s holidays, The Moscow Times has launched an advertising campaign called “Create Yourself. Happy New Year!” in cooperation with the Big Board company that is providing their advertising vehicles.

From December through January, pictures drawn by children who participated in the charitable “Create Yourself” program will be posted on 110 advertising stands and 150 city-format ad displays in Moscow and other Russian cities. The ad campaign’s goal is to promote The Moscow Times’ social project.

The Moscow Times is an English language newspaper widely known not only for its unique Western style of journalism, but also for its European standards in the field of social and political activity, as seen in its support for various cultural, business and social projects. The initiative to help children with physical disabilities helps promote The Moscow Times brand and gives the newspaper a reputation for being a socially responsible company.

The Moscow Times publisher Yekaterina Son commented, “In our view, it is very important - especially during such a difficult period of economic instability - to give attention to social projects and to attract the public’s attention to charity, and, at minimum, provide information about projects and children to whom people can give real aid. Moreover, for us as a Western publication, this is an inseparable principle that corresponds with Western standards for work.”

Also as part of the program, the initiators earlier organized a children’s festival at which each participating child received an album of pictures that had been collected over the course of the year. In addition, a charitable fundraising evening was held in November, with all proceeds going to sister foundations dedicated to helping children.

The “Create Yourself” program was organized to help children with physical disabilities so that they could not only have an outlet for their creativity, but also receive vivid proofs of their creativity and talent - a website, art albums and finally, their small but very touching contribution to the city’s holiday decorations.