Debrecen’s flower carnival is a celebration of love and togetherness, said the city’s deputy mayor responsible for tourism on Tuesday, when she presented at a press conference the works depicting floral motifs of the disabled residents of the Immanuel Home of the Reformed Church. The works are placed on the fence of the memorial garden behind the Great Reformed Church.
Diána Széles said that the flower carnival, which ends on August 20, belongs to everyone: the event has become an internationally renowned event with the cooperation and collaboration of economic actors, social and cultural institutions.
She spoke highly of the people cared for at the Immanuel home, who have been making their flower motifs for months to add color to this year’s carnival programs.
András Beszterczey, the pastor of the Debrecen Cathedral Reformed parish, added: the residents of the home contribute to making the city more colorful with their work.
According to Zsófia Juhász, the director of the institution, the most important message of the presentation is that “disabled people are people who create value, just like all of us.”
She said that people with disabilities do not like to be seen as needy or in need of help, and they draw attention to this with their work: they have been working on the flower carnival installation for three months, they have made four hundred flowers, which are connected by 180-200 tendrils.
At the briefing, Diána Széles mentioned as another fine example of cooperation that the employees of the city’s social service participate as volunteers in decorating the BMW car – which symbolizes the community of the German car manufacturer and the city. After the carnival, the hydrangeas used to dress up the car will be planted in the gardens of local institutions, including nursing homes, the deputy mayor added.
Réka Mészáros, managing director of Főnix Rendezvényszerzégo Nonprofit Kft., the main organizer of the flower carnival, announced: as a donation from Budapest companies, families and children in need can watch the carnival parade for free on August 20 from a grandstand that will be set up separately for them.
She expressed her hope that this will create a tradition, and every year they will be able to host needy families who otherwise would not have the opportunity to watch the carnival procession from the stands.
At the press conference, Réka Mészáros handed over the 206 tickets offered to the needy to András Törő, the president of the Debrecen Charitable Board, who indicated that the tickets will be distributed among the members of their almost thirty member organizations, and will be given to those who would not be able to buy them on their own.
