Every year Israel celebrates "Good Deeds Day" and Maccabi Tel Aviv Football Club are enthusiastic participants. This year the Special Needs Children of the "Ahava" Association came to meet their favourite MTA stars and the joy was shared by all
Yesterday afternoon at the Kiryat Shalom training ground Maccabi Tel Aviv Football Club hosted "Ahava", the Israel Association for Special Needs Children, for a joyful meeting between some 100 of the very special children they assist and Maccabi's very special football players.
The timing of this occasion was not coincidental. Yesterday Israel marked its annual "Good Deeds Day", a tradition that started in 2007 with a view to encouraging the spirit of volunteerism and mutual responsibility in Israeli society. "Good Deeds Day" is the flagship project of the Israeli organisation "Ruah Tova" (Good Spirit) whose overall goal is to promote volunteerism in Israel and who were instrumental in organising the visit of children of the "Ahava" Association to Kiryat Shalom. Maccabi Tel Aviv's own fans' community support organisation, "Achim Besemel", also never miss a chance to get involved in community affairs and contributed their part in the festivities by setting up stands where the children could get help painting their faces. The children also made use of the opportunity to do a bit of their own footballing on the specially prepared pitch, practising runs and shooting at the goal mouth. But the real fun started when the players themselves arrived and not one child missed out on a photo-op or an autograph from their favourite Maccabi Tel Aviv star. The children's excitement could be felt every moment and reached its peak when they were treated to a group picture and presents by all the Maccabi Tel Aviv players.
