Charitable reflector campaign at the Baltic Defence College

On 2nd of November, some students of the Baltic Defence College (BALTDEFCOL) Joint Command and General Staff Course (JCGSC) 2018-2019 visited Tartu Herbert Masing School to deliver almost 400 reflectors to the school children. The reflectors were collected at the College during a charitable reflector campaign. JCGSC students had an opportunity to interact with the local children, talk about the College and share their stories in a very pleasant atmosphere.

With the arrival of autumn, as the days are getting shorter and it is getting darker and darker outside, it becomes compulsory for the pedestrians of Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to wear safety reflectors. In order to keep the students and staff members as well as their family members safe and at the same time do something good and worthwhile in the local community, BALTDEFCOL organised a charitable reflector campaign in the month of October. It is said that a reflector is the cheapest life insurance you can purchase. Such a small thing can protect you from traffic accidents and save your life.

By buying BALTDEFCOL reflectors, the students and staff members had an opportunity to donate some for the charity. Giving back to the society and making a change in the local community has always been important to the BALTDEFCOL family. This time, the College decided to share the reflectors with the kids of Tartu Herbert Masing School. Tartu Herbert Masing School is a school for students with special educational needs caused by various health conditions. The school is aimed at children with autism spectrum disorder, activity and attention disorder, emotional disorder, mood disorder and chronic somatic diseases (asthma, diabetes, epilepsy, juvenile arthritis, etc.), as well as children with severe impairment. Altogether, close to 400 reflectors were collected.

During the visit to the school, students of the JCGSC introduced themselves to the children, talked about their life and studies both in Tartu and abroad and distributed the reflectors. The children were able to ask various questions about the career choices, work assignments as well as personal life. They received a valuable language experience and had a unique chance to explore the world of military career.

This reflector campaign is a great example how a relatively small contribution from each of us can result in a very positive and benevolent outcome. BALTDEFCOL is grateful to everyone participating in this worthy project.