December 5th, 2024
Tohum Autism Foundation’s Traditional New Year Shopping Festival Took Place on December 3rd This Year with the Theme “A Festival is Born from Kindness”!
The Tohum Autism Foundation’s Traditional and Widely Anticipated New Year Shopping Festival was held this year on December 3rd at Divan Kuruçeşme. Organized for the benefit of individuals with autism, the festival offered visitors the opportunity to buy gifts for their loved ones ahead of the new year while also contributing to the education of children with autism.
This Year’s Festival Stood Out with Innovations and Surprises
Before the festival, beloved figures from the business, arts, and media worlds, along with volunteers of the Tohum Autism Foundation, came together for a special workshop with children studying at Tohum Autism Foundation’s educational institutions. The surprise gifts crafted during the workshop were sold at the festival to support education scholarships for children with autism.
Talks with Expert Speakers on Timely Topics Continued This Year
At the festival, Zehra Öney, futurist and Founder & CEO of 360+ Media Interactive Technologies, gave an inspiring talk titled “The Age of Super Intelligence”, exploring the future of artificial intelligence and technology with the attendees.
Bestselling author Piraye, known for staying at the top of book charts for years, met readers at a book signing event featuring her latest release “Can Borcu” (Life Debt). Piraye donated all proceeds from book sales to education scholarships for children with autism and also gave a talk on “Self-Actualization.”
Specially Designed Gift Baskets and a Raffle Drew Major Attention
Gifts donated by compassionate individuals and institutions from the business world, contemporary artists, and distinguished brands found their new owners through a raffle held during the festival. Specially designed New Year gift baskets, prepared by the founders of the Tohum Autism Foundation and prominent business figures, were offered for sale to raise donations for the benefit of children with autism.
Tohumcuks and Young Tohums Volunteered at the Festival
Once again this year, young volunteers aged 5–8 (“Tohumcuks”) and those over 10 (“Young Tohums”) took on active roles at the festival. These young volunteers had previously received autism awareness training at the Tohum Autism Foundation Special Education School and experienced the joy of participating in a meaningful social responsibility project at an early age.
Honorary President Mine Narin on the Festival’s Importance
“We once again held our New Year Shopping Festival with great enthusiasm to support the education of children with autism. We sincerely thank everyone for their contributions on behalf of the children and families awaiting education. Thanks to the proceeds from our past festivals, we have provided one-year education scholarships for 717 children with autism. With your continued support, we are honored and grateful to keep shining a light on their educational journey this year as well.”
This year’s co-sponsor of the festival was Maximiles Black, with Tüpraş and Otokar serving as support sponsors.
