| On the Road with "Hearts for Art" |
Below are two reports from members who participated in the Hearts for Art project in Ukraine this past May, and some photos from the trip. More photos, captions, and additional information will follow as I receive them.
Please note that as of June, 2005, we are planning gallery shows throughout the USA of paintings made by our orphans. If you are interested in participating, organizing a show in your area, or would like to become a sponsor of a Gallery Show, please contact us at UCAREInc@aol.com!
|
In a message dated 5/25/2005, Vera Petrusha writes:
Hello Everyone!
I
have just returned from my trip to Ukraine once again an incredible
experience. The rest of the group is still there continuing our Route.
This trip was special, because we actually spent more time with the
children. Our project is called 'Hearts for Art'. We are painting with
the children (we plan on having gallery shows of their work), sewing
heart pillows (which is a total hit! Surprised even us on how much
these kids loved them they so desperately need hugs) and hired
professional trainers to speak to the older children about Human
Trafficking and HIV/AIDS. The orphanages I visited were very different.
The first was Berdyansk 300 children, pretty well cared for and
talented (we slept here, experience a tiny snapshot of their lives).
The second place was Tsyuropinsk a place that has a variety of
children some off the streets, some with a criminal past, some with
developmental challenges (this was a tough place) .... and then another
orphanage in Tsyuropinsk filled with children who have special needs. I
always leave this building in awe ... I saw children with no arms paint
holding a paint brush in their teeth, or moving their arms by holding
the sleeve of their shirt in their mouth ... simply AMAZING!
If you are interested in helping out with the Gallery show, please let me know. Those meetings will be starting shortly.
Also,
Marta Kolomeyts in Kyiv had a wonderful idea for another project. This
fall, we will be having a seminar for young ladies (including all the
girls in the scholarship program) about careers filled with workshops
(interview techniques, resume writing, etc.) lead by successful
professional women in Ukraine. After the workshop, they will set up a
'CLOSET' filled with suits and accessories for the girls to pick from.
So if you have any gently used suits that you would like to donate
to the cause, please bring them to me.
Hope to hear from you all!
Vera
|
(Click on the thumbnails below to see a larger picture)
|
In a message dated 6/13/2005, Alexandra Kosogof writes:
The
rest of the team is finally back. After Vera left us, the trip
continued on to Ochakiv in Mykolaiivska Oblast along the Black Sea,
where we spent the day with 45 children, aged 3 to 7 years. I venture
to say that none of them had ever painted with acrylics before, but
that did not stop them at all! They all took to it quickly, once they
were told that they could paint anything that they wanted! They were
pretty demanding little artists toochange my water, I need yellow
paint, red paint, blue paint .... They probably would have spent the
entire day creating as many pictures as they could had they not had to
stop for lunch and take a nap!
From this little people place
we went to an orphanage of older children (ages 7 to 17) in Ochakiv.
Their internat (orphanage-school) is right on the Black Sea and the
water there was very warm. We spent the next day and half with 231
kids. At first it took them a little time to warm up to us, but once
they got going, there was no stopping them! There is a new director
there and all the children seem to like her. I met a young man, who
told me that he has already spent half his life there (he was 14), and
compared to the other directors, he liked this one the best! One of the
many things that they are in dire need of are new beds, mattresses and
drawers (night tables), where the children can place their personal
belongings.
From Ochakiv we traveled to Pantaiivka, a small
village in Kirovohradska oblast (state). There are 367 children here,
ranging in age from 3 to 17. Because of the unseasonably warm weather
(95 to 105 degrees, which began the 2nd day we were in Ukraine), the
rooms in which we were painting, sewing and providing the training
sessions became unbearable. None of the windows opened and, with 60
plus children, we decided to take the projects into the hall and
outdoors. I don't know which was worse it became total chaos and ALL
the children wanted to participate at that very moment!
All in
all, this trip provided us with many opportunities, thanks to Marta
Kolomayets, Maryna Krysa, Iko Figlus and Roman Kyzyk. We had a chance
to see the President speak, meet personally with the First Lady after
our Marsh-Route and see Ruslana in concert (and meet her). A few of us
also met some wonderful people, such as Victor Petrenko (Gold Meal
Olympic Skater), the group "Green Jolly" of "Nas Bahato Nas Ne
Podolaty" fame, a National Geographics photographer (Tanya D'Avginon),
Peter Borisow (Hollywood Trident Foundation President), Walter
Nazarewicz (Ukrainian Institute of America President), all the
wonderful people at US Ukraine Foundation (Ludmyla Dudnyk, Vera
Andrewshkiw, Markian Bilinskyj) plus many others, along with the people
from Children of Chernobyl Relief Fund, too! There are probably people
that I am forgetting to mention too!
Another great opportunity
was a chance to meet with some of the students that we sponsor. They
are all such great young adults. We were able to have a round table
discussion with them and one of their biggest complaints was that they
know very little about their sponsors, and that they don't hear from
them that often. The scholarship committee will be meeting soon and
they will be putting together a letter to all sponsors soon. We'll
provide some pictures from the meeting, too!
Phase I is now
complete. Phase II Gallery Show is now underway. The Galley Show
committee will be meeting this week and I'm sure they'll be keeping us
posted as to how things are coming along. Again, if you are interested
in helping out please let Vera know.
Also, please take a look
at our website! Our webmaster Luba Petrusha, has been updating it.
Hopefully we can get some of our pictures up on the site from the route
so that everyone can get a glimpse of our time in Ukraine.
If there is anything else you'd like to know, let me know.
Shura
PS
- Some of the boxes that we sent to Ukraine for the art project just
arrived to Kyiv! Only a month late, but they are there now! We're
hoping that some volunteers will be able to go back to Ukraine this
fall to deliver these supplies and, hopefully, by then we will be able
to purchase some beds for two of the orphanages and have them delivered!
|
|
