4TH OPERATION TOY DROP

EPA's Christmas Charity Jump Event.

On 12-16 January we successfully conducted the 4th Operation Toy Drop in Erden, Bulgaria. European Paratroopers Operation Toy Drop is a charity parachute jump event modeled after the traditional US Army paratroopers Christmas event hosted every December in Fort Bragg. The event is the most noble airborne operation in the world, and it serves a dual purpose: providing training for paratroopers and servicing needy children. The event usually takes place on the third weekend in December but because of relocation reasons this year the event was planned and executed last month of January. The aim of this operation is to fundraise for Orphan Children on Christmas Holiday and to give our members the exciting opportunity to earn a set of foreign airborne wings. This year we had special Jumpmaster teams from US, Serbia and Turkey, who joined their colleagues from Bulgaria and Italy to award our jumpers with their airborne wings. We had 3 days of amazing jumps and camaraderie, and on Saturday 15th January we did a parachute jump demonstration for a group of young guests from the Family Child Care Center - Montana who came on the dropzone accompanied by the center Director Mr. Dimitr Venzislavov Ivanov and by the Bulgarian Paratroopers Association President Col. Vladimir Milyovski. The kids have got a present directly from the hands of the airborne veterans who had just landed on the DZ and have then spent a few times socializing and playing football with them. After the  parachute jump demonstration, which was live on Bulgarian national TV channel BTV, EPA President Col. Giulio Festa presented to FCCC-Montana Director Mr. Dimitr Venzislavov Ivanov the boxes of supplies collected by our Association. Twelve boxes of clothing and shoes that include suits, jackets, pants, shirts, blouses, dresses, skirts, t-shirts, pajamas, shoes and winter shoes. This project has been made possible only thanks to the generosity of our fellow paratroopers who joined the Toy Drop Jump Operation, and of our amazing members and friends who donated to our TOY DROP-Christmas Charity Project. A special thanks goes to Knight Alessandro Salvi, from Sovereign Military Order of Malta, who donated a big stock of shoes from Soldini, a top Italian shoes brand.

Go ahead and click the “Photo Gallery” button to view the images of our event!