Vadim Petrovich

Here's a guest blog from my parents, Barb and Steve Clark. about their experience visiting Russia as a member of our team.

We enjoyed a trip to the Sovietsk Orphanage that was filled with new experiences and adventure. We met many wonderful people, both staff and children at the orphanage as well as really great folks in the local community. The interpreters were exceptional, speaking several languages in some cases. We would like to single out one individual to write about in this blog because he did something so nice for us that we will never forget. Vadim Petrovich Antsygin is the Technology Instructor for the Sovietsk Orphanage. He really, really cares about the children. He devotes a great deal of energy helping the kids learn some basic skills with tools and achieving an understanding of how to do some things that will prove useful throughout their lives. He is a craftsman, especially with wood. He teaches crafts, basic carpentry and even electrical wiring. Steve really enjoyed touring the shop and engaging in lively conversation about the things that Vadim has a passion for. The shop was so versatile with many opportunities and with tools and machines that Vadim made from whatever was available. He is very resourceful. Steve was very glad that he had spent time with Barb’s dad, Kilby Davis, who was an excellent craftsman with wood in his own right. Steve’s background is engineering, welding and metal working, but he had just enough understanding to really enjoy the time in the shop. Later in the week, Vadim appeared in Galina’s, the director’s, office with a special gift for us. He had prepared a presentation speech which he delivered with heartfelt emotion that really touched us. He gave us a beautiful piece of his own personal work – a handmade frame and handmade picture of winter snowbirds made from shaped pieces of colored bark. It is gorgeous and hangs in a very prominent place in our home. The caption has blessed and inspired us more than we can say: “For the people who give part of their good hearts to children”. We pray to live up to that statement. Thank you, our friend, Vadim!

It's a Small World, After All

So, you'll never believe what we saw in a small children's store in Sovietsk:

That's right! 6,000 miles away from Indianapolis, our home, right after we missed our favorite NFL team on opening day, Ben's lovely mother makes this discovery.

Sovietsk has a population of 20,000.

Lucas Oil Stadium (for our Russian readers, that's where the Colts play American Football) seats up to 70,000.

We talk a lot about how different life is between here and Sovietsk, but this is just more proof that we're really more alike than different.

I knew we found a good home away from home! GO COLTS!

They Grow Up Fast

A handful of kids at the orphanage have recently entered their final year there before graduation. One of them happens also to be my pen pal, Sergey, who turns 16 today. While Sarah and I will be eating blini to celebrate his birthday, we will also be thinking about what faces him as he graduates this coming spring.

We've touched on this subject before, but I would like to emphasize that graduating from an orphanage does not carry with it the same sort of excited anticipation of something bigger and better ahead like it did for most of us. For most of these kids, leaving the orphanage can be as frightening as when they first arrived. Through no fault of their own, they face an uncertain future of limited opportunities and marginalization. Sergey faces some difficulty stemming from his past and present situations. He wants to be a truck driver, but his circumstances may limit him. He's been at the orphanage for 8 years. Sergey has told us he grateful for everything he has, and you can imagine that he would love to stay in his home awhile longer.

We will be his loudest advocates to make sure he is given a fair chance and that his options are not limited. Our goal is to get him some help dealing with his feelings, like most of us need. But we're also hoping to help the graduating class to gain some crucial life skills. We're looking into a program, somewhat like a summer camp, that would give these kids some necessary skills for living in the real world. We're doing everything that we can to make sure that these kids are not marginalized and rejected, but empowered and loved.

Community!

This trip was different than some of our other trips. While we had too many wonderful moments to count with the children of Sovietsk, they were in school during the day. This gave us opportunity to spend time with community leaders and begin forming bonds for the benefit of the children, much like we did last year in Dolbiylova.

We observed speech pathology lessons and soccer and boxing demonstrations, seeing sponsored programs in action. We visited a tech school where two of our grads attend, studying welding. We visited 3 schools in the community, sharing tea with teachers and administrators, and even watching our teachers teach. We visited the main arts school in Sovietsk and enjoyed a special concert by the students, complete with a bayan duet, and a special presentation from a touring group. (Our girls thought the boys in the group were pretty cute!) We returned to a few stores in town and the history museum. We met the director of an orphanage for children who are hearing impaired, the Father of the largest church in Kirov, and many, many educators who contribute greatly to our children's success. Galina had us very busy, and there was definitely a purpose in her plan.

This was an excellent opportunity for us to see the children beyond the orphanage, visiting them in lessons and having them share their friends and activities with us. Little Olga was just beaming with pride as we made the rounds at her arts school. At tech school, Andrey had the perfect adolescent mix of embarassment and pride as Galina and the rest of us fussed over him in front of his friends and teachers. It was so hopeful and heartwarming to see the children embraced as a part of a community beyond the orphanage walls.

Even more amazing was the community response Galina has reported over the last year. Examples: We were prepared to buy graduation gifts for everyone this year, but we received word that wasn't necessary. Galina told us why--last year, word spread that 'the Americans' purchased gifts for all the grads. So, this year, a local group of business people decided to do the same. Last year, we purchased a guitar for the orphanage, both for Ben to use when we visit and for the children to use for lessons. When we returned, there were four guitars. And when we visited the music school, International Charitable Programme "Music of Life" made a special presentation of an additional guitar for the orphanage. Perhaps the biggest surprise of all was the playground. Last year, I took photos of an open field and a few rusty swings the kids used to play, and in my wildest dreams, I would have found a way to have a playground built for the children. But, in the last year, a group of local tax collectors rallied together and built the playground, together with the children. I met Tatyana from this group, and we talked at great lengths about our hopes for the children and how we could continue to work together.
I could write volumes on each of these subjects, and in future posts, I probably will. But for now, I wanted to share just the surface of the exciting developments in the Sovietsk community. Research on youth development tells us that the more connected a child is to his or her community as he or she enters adulthood, the greater probability he or she has for success. Ben and I are only there once a year, though our hearts are there constantly. But from halfway around the world, there is only so much we can do. I am so thankful for the openness of the people of Sovietsk, and my deepest hope is that they will embrace every one of our children as their own.

The Importance of Playing Soccer

After our third visit to Sovietsk Orphanage, it was nice to see yet again how the kids are progressing. One boy in particular is a great example of the hope for success that we have for these kids. Through a soccer program at the orphanage, he was able to prove that he has no small measure of athletic talent. Before he started playing soccer, he was considered one of the "naughty boys." While he still has some trouble now and then, he seems to have turned it around and improved his behavior as well as his performance in school. He now has a goal of attending university so that he can become a Phys. Ed. teacher when he grows up. This might not sound like staggering news to the average American, but for an orphanage kid in Russia, this is nothing short of amazing. About 4% of orphanage graduates attend university. It's not that these kids lack the talent to be able to attend university, it's simply that they lack the opportunity and the means.

We're so glad that, through past sponsorship and the funding of this soccer program by Kids First Foundation, this young man now has a goal to achieve, the motivation to get there, and the moral support if he falters. This is the kind of support that we're trying to offer to all of the kids at Sovietsk. Some of them want to be truck drivers, singers, artists, beauticians, welders, etc. Whatever they want to be, we want to give them a chance.

We are trying to fund soccer for the remainder of this year. Along the right side of the blog, where it says "Sports and Arts Change Lives" you'll see an opportunity to contribute towards this and other critical programs for our kiddos.

Must-see TV, Russian Style

Remember last year when we posted about unexpecting the expected? Well, we expected to have a short interview with the media in Sovietsk. What we got instead was 4 days of cameras and mics, personal interviews and written statements, and candid footage by award-winning documentary filmmaker Tatyana Khalezova. What a surprise, and what an honor! We were glad for the chance to spread the word in Russia about our special kids. We're hoping this builds even more support from within Russia. We're thankful for any way to get the word out!

The link below is an excerpt from Kirov Regional news, following our outing to Dolbiylova. (While we might have looked more camera-ready when we weren't hiking through the woods, we are glad that Sovietsk Supporters Galina and Volodya were featured!) Please, follow the link below to watch our news segment. (I haven't figure out how to embed Russian video. Scroll down to the bottom of the screen to watch.)

http://www.gtrk-vyatka.ru/vesti/7657-amerikanskie-volontery.html

While it loses something going from English to Russian and back to English, the translation is below. You, Sovietsk Supporters, get a major mention! Between our family and friends, Bethlehem Lutheran, KidsFirst Foundation, and Evangel PCA in Kansas, not to mention people who have found us via blog, the supporters are well over 200. So thank you!

(Also, this is just a portion of what will be featured on a "full-length docu-drama" television show about Sovietsk orphanage and our involvement there. Something along the lines of Dateline Kirov, it seems. Stay tuned for even more!)

AMERICAN VOLUNTEERS
A group of American volunteers arrived in Kirov Region. They visit orphanages. The charity help that the guests from abroad render is measured not in money equivalent only. Relations and interaction are the key for the orphans regardless of the language of this communication.
Sarah, Benjamin, Katherine, Jennifer, Steve and Barbara . They came to Sovietsk orphanage from Indiana, USA.

Sarah Clark, social worker [student] (Indiana, USA): «Today here you see only 6 Americans. But there are a lot more people that participate in this program. They are about 200, more than 200. We are happy when we can raise some money to help these children. On the other hand, I have been writing to a girl from this orphanage for three years already. We have become friends. We are very attached to one another and I hope that after she graduates we will be able to continue keeping in touch».

Sarah Clark is a social worker [student]. She works with foster care children and children from correctional facilities learning to live at home independently.

Sarah Clark, social worker [student] (Indiana, USA): «The children that I work with at home are in no way different from these children. Of course, there are only a few children's homes in the USA. Most children live in foster families. Both the systems: orphanages and foster care have positive and negative sides».

But the problems, unfortunately, are the same. When the children leave the orphanages, they are hardly able to deal with everyday life. Every child must have an adult that s\he can trust.
The charity foundation “NADEZHDA” works with volunteers from abroad and Russia and helps to find these people.

Galina Plotnikova, Principal of Sovietsk sanatorium type orphanage: «They write letters to each other, make sure to send a birthday card greeting, check on the children’s health. They can ask whether the child’s cat has become bigger, for instance. They pay attention to all the details and small things».

The orphanage was able to hire a speech pathologist and many tutors with the financial assistance. Some boys were able to get their driver’s licenses.

Galina Plotnikova, Principal of Sovietsk sanatorium type orphanage: «We were able to start a drama and guitar club. And overall, our children make better progress at school because of the tutors».

The week of personal interaction with the adults lets the children feel like they possess equal rights with other members of society. When they are together, walking hand in hand, there are things to talk about.

Planting Trees

In Russia, they say there are three things necessary in order to be a man: build a house, raise a son, and plant a tree. I'm two-thirds of the way there.

During our visit, my dad, our interpreter Misha, and I had the opportunity to help some of the young fellows at the orphanage take a step toward becoming men.

Because of a carelessly discarded cigarette, the orphanage lost about a dozen trees along the perimeter of its property last year. We planted some trees to replace those damaged in the fire. During this process, I became acutely aware of how fortunate I was to have a man like my father teach me to be a man. These young guys at the orphanage aren't so lucky.

One boy in particular comes to mind. As Misha put it, "He hasn't learned to keep his word. He hasn't learned to be a man." He will graduate soon and have to set about life on his own. When I was his age I wasn't ready to be on my own; I couldn't imagine being in his shoes. But this is why Sarah and I are working so hard and partnering with our Russian counterparts to help all of the kids at Sovietsk Orphanage find their way.