Thousands of orphaned boys and girls all over Saudi Arabia took part this week in holiday celebrations sponsored by Saudi Aramco and supported by thousands of its employees across the Kingdom, reported Jeddah-based 'Arab News' on Thursday. During Ramadan, Saudi Aramco's employees and contractors purchased new children's toys and gifts, which were collected at company facilities around the Kingdom. The toys and gifts were distributed to orphans during daylong festivals in Dhahran, Jeddah and Riyadh. In Dhahran, the company's Transportation Department provided 30 buses to shuttle orphaned boys and girls from Qateef, Al-Hasa, Umm El-Sahik, Ras Tanura, Abqaiq, Saihat, Dammam and Alkhobar. These 976 youngsters aged 5-20 spent a day at specially prepared sites and enjoyed a variety of activities, from contests and games to music and sports demonstrations. They were also provided with snacks and party foods. For the Eastern Province boys and girls festivals, 70 people volunteered their services to help make the day special and fun-filled. About half that number were Saudi Aramco volunteers who gave up part of their holiday to bring to the children the goodwill of the people from all over the world who work for Saudi Aramco. Other volunteers were drawn from the local community, including 20 Boy Scouts. --more 1412 Local Time 1112 GMT
