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How Shelter 1 Kids Give Back
by Oksana Pankyeyeva
After almost 10 years in Zhytomyr, we are seeing many of our young people offering their time and talents to serve others. We’d like to share a few of those stories with you!
Yulia Sagaidachnaya
Recently we learned that a little girl, Nadia Marchuk, whose mom is in our Stop The Cycle program, urgently needed hospitalization for eye treatment. She was cross-eyed and her vision kept getting worse. But her mother, Luda, was already in the hospital. (She has osteomyelitis of the jaw.) So Nadia had no one to take care of her treatment; plus Luda didn’t have the money for it.
We decided to help. Yulia Sagaidachnaya, one of the other young moms from the Stop the Cycle program, works as a nurse in that children’s hospital, so we asked her for assistance.
Yulia with her own little girl, Ksenya
Yulia took responsibility for the whole situation! She took Nadia to the hospital, procured the medical tests, talked to doctors about treatment, and bought medications and eye glasses for Nadia with the money provided by Last Bell. She checked her into a room at the hospital and often visited her and brought good food along. When people in the hospital asked about Yulia’s relationship to little Nadia, Yulia proudly responded that she was a volunteer.
Yulia has a kind heart. She works as a nurse in the neonatal pathology department, so she faces some difficult cases, but she is always compassionate. Her department often treats babies whose parents have abandoned them, so Yulia holds and talks to them, even though her co-workers don’t understand and even make fun of her.
We can always rely on Yulia’s help. She wants to be a volunteer with the Educational Outreach team; its goal is to reach orphans in the trade schools of Zhytomyr using life skills lessons. So Yulia has started to study about orphans in Ukraine and orphan psychology. She is passionate about helping other orphans whenever and wherever she can!
This is truly a dream come true for those who minister to orphans – for these kids to become successful members of society and start ministering to other people.
Here are a few other examples of our older kids giving back:
Sasha Kaplun
Sasha first worked as a loader at a tile warehouse. He was such a good worker that he soon moved into better positions. Now he works as a supervisor at that same warehouse. He is highly regarded there, and even Sasha’s boss asks him for advice. Sasha has now hired four other Shelter 1 guys!
We trust Sasha and often ask for his help, which he provides us with joy! He drives for us and helps in other ways. For the last two years, when we took Stop The Cycle moms on a trip to the sea, Sasha went with us as a volunteer (as a second driver and Andrey’s helper). When Andrey and I were arriving from the U.S. in the spring, Sasha and his wife Alona picked us up at the airport. We can always rely on Sasha.
Sasha and Alona (back) with Andrey Pankyeyev
Alona Pavitska
Alona, Sasha’s wife, started babysitting for us long ago, during our Stop the Cycle meetings and at camps. She did a very good job. So we started hiring her as a babysitter for the staff’s kids. Recently Alona gave birth to her own baby girl, so now she is completely dedicated to her new role. But I am sure very soon she’ll be back to her staff babysitter position!
Anya Hrobust and Masha Pankyeyeva
Anya and Masha have been volunteering as babysitters for the Stop the Cycle program at monthly meetings and at camps. It’s always fun to watch as Masha, who was one of the most difficult, aggressive kids at the orphanage, plays with and entertains and comforts our little kids! And Anya is studying to be a doctor, so she has always been a nurse for our Stop the Cycle kids, providing first aid and taking responsibility for the first aid kit. These girls are also ready to help us in every other need.
Anya and Masha, who are good friends
Angela Kotenko and Lena Pinkovska
Angela and Anya took part in the haircutting and nail salon course last summer. They continue their training at the Support Center with a coach who comes twice a week. That was the beginning of our community hair salon. Many of our kids from different Last Bell programs go to Angela and Lena for hair cuts. The girls don’t have an asking price; if someone has money to pay, he or she puts their money in a special box. But those who can’t pay get a free haircut! These girls also help us in other ways, with pleasure.
 
L: Angela Kotenko and her two children; R: Lena Pinkovska and her little boy. Not pictured are Angela’s and Lena’s husbands.
I could continue with many more “giving back” stories. We’re so inspired and encouraged by these kids, because it’s our dream and vision coming true. Thank you, dear friends and sponsors, for your help, as it makes Last Bell’s work possible. May all the glory belong to God!
We recently posted a blog about the Stop the Cycle program by Yulia Sagaidachnaya herself, who is a great writer. We hope to keep hearing from her. You can read her blog here.
2015 Summer Camp Retreats
Because of the Stop The Cycle program’s growth this year (13 Haven parents and 25 Shelter parents with their 41 kids!), this summer we plan to have two Stop the Cycle family camps. A combined group would be so large we wouldn’t be able to pay the kind of personal attention and care we want to. A family atmosphere is our priority, and a big crowd would hinder that.
So, from August 17th until the 25th (including travel), we’re planning a camp for the first and largest group at a comfortable place in the Carpathian mountains.
We welcome American volunteers for this camp! We do understand that in such an unstable time it is not easy to travel to Ukraine; and many U.S. kids start the academic year in August. We can also look for Ukrainian helpers.
The second Stop The Cycle group can’t travel far, since the kids are so much younger (13 kids under three). So we plan to rent a comfortable place near Zhytomyr for a few days, and at the end we will go to the water park in Kyiv.
The Shelter 2 residential group is planning a retreat at the beginning of August on a beach near Odessa. The staff will invite the kids who live with them, who visit them on weekends, and the ones who attend graduate reunions regularly.
We would also love donations fun crafts for kids and moms! Here are our craft needs:
–Crafts for moms (jewelry, bags, etc.): 5 days’ worth for 40 people
–Sunday school/Bible crafts for children: 6 days’ worth for 25 kids
Please, pray for God’s blessings on everything, safety for everyone, and that all will be for His glory!
We have a total of 110 moms, children, and staff who are going on one of our three camp retreats this summer. That is twice last year’s number of campers! We will be using a new crowd-funding platform called Funerosity to raise the funds for this year’s much-needed camps. Watch your inbox for information about our Funerosity fundraiser, and as always, we welcome good old-fashioned hand-written checks sent via snail mail to PO Box 3922, Carmel IN 46082.
Thank you!
A dad with his daughter at sea camp in 2013. Summer camp is one of the times we are most likely to see dads participating. |
