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| Valya and Kim |
If you are looking for some inspiration during this trying time, look no further. Petrova's Promise can certainly supply some of that! Petrova's Promise is a non profit that was started by Kim and John Wepler. Kim is a friend of mine that I met through Maria. Kim and John help set up and fund Foster Homes in Russia. More specifically, Foster Homes for children with disabilities. In Russia, orphans have a rough road to travel and most never get a chance at a "normal" life. Orphans with disabilities have the worst of it. They are labeled early in life, and it is nearly impossible for them to shake the label. It doesn't matter how much they grow and learn, they will always have labels to hold them back. A typical orphan will get some education in the orphanage, and then some remedial training when they are older. This might help them get a job and an apartment where they can live. Orphans with disabilities however, don't even get that opportunity. They are not taught anything because it is deemed a waste of time. At the age of 19, they are placed out of the orphanage and sent to a group home to live the rest of their lives.
Take the story of Valya for instance. She was abandoned by her family. She lived on the streets of her village for a while with a pack of dogs. She learned how to survive from a pack of dogs!! So much so, that when authorities found her she couldn't speak Russian and didn't even eat with her hands. She ate her food right out of a bowl with her mouth, just like she had learned from the dogs. She was taken to an orphanage. Unfortunately she was so developmentally delayed, it affected the other orphans learning as well. So she was moved to an orphanage for children with disabilities. While living with the children in the first orphanage she was able to learn from watching them. This showed Kim and John that she had the ability to learn, if someone took the time. On top of this, Valya was a happy, enthusiastic child. Can you even imagine being abandoned, living on the streets for a while, being placed in an orphanage, and then moved to another orphanage... and coming out being happy and enthusiastic? This girl definitely has a lot to show the world about living. This is why John and Kim made it a priority to get her into their first Foster Home. Just imagine, if it weren't for the work of Kim and John, she would have to live in a group home at the age of 19. Check out the short video below and try not to smile! I wonder how this child can be so happy?!? But she is truly a happy soul!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=9&v=KYuLyHb8qEQ&feature=emb_logo
You may wonder how Kim and John got to this point in their lives. Well, they have one biological son named Cory, but had always wanted to adopt. Kim wanted to adopt from Poland since her heritage is Polish. When she called an adoption agency about it, they said it was impossible to adopt from Poland, but recommended they adopt from Russia. Kim and John said sure! They went on to adopt a girl named Camie when she was 5 months old. That was in July of 2001. Camie's Russian surname was Petrova, hence Petrova's Promise. It took a 5 day trip to Russia for them to adopt Camie. On their last night in Moscow, Kim started crying because she felt bad for taking Camie away from her country. Plus she had fallen in love with Russia and the people there, especially the children. Kim didn't want to leave. She was getting ready for dinner that last night when she had a "light bulb" moment... she needed to come back to Russia to help orphans with disabilities. In America she was a pediatric physical therapist, so she knew she had the skill set to help these children who desperately needed some help. She made a "promise" to come back and help.
It was very difficult to find someone to help her get into the orphanages for kids with special needs. It took 5 years to do this! While she was trying to find a way in, she was also helping her adoption agency work with families that were adopting. While in the office one day, a family called to decline their referral because the baby was going to be "a month too old when they brought her home". The agency jokingly told Kim that she should adopt this baby because she looked like her. That is all it took for Kim, and they adopted another daughter, Claira, in the summer of 2003. She was 14 months old.
While they were in Russia adopting Claira, they were bringing supplies to an orphanage that had older children. All of the kids were so excited to see them when they arrived, yelling "Mama, Papa". One little boy was very quiet though. However, he was amazed by John's video camera. He stuck by John's side the entire visit. At the end of their visit, the adoption coordinator explained that this boy was going to be available for adoption in the fall and that they needed to take his information to their agency. John and Kim looked at each other and they instantly knew they had to come back to get him. They adopted Clayton in November of 2003. This completed their family of 6. But they were, and are, far from done with Russia and the children there!
You may wonder how Kim and John got to this point in their lives. Well, they have one biological son named Cory, but had always wanted to adopt. Kim wanted to adopt from Poland since her heritage is Polish. When she called an adoption agency about it, they said it was impossible to adopt from Poland, but recommended they adopt from Russia. Kim and John said sure! They went on to adopt a girl named Camie when she was 5 months old. That was in July of 2001. Camie's Russian surname was Petrova, hence Petrova's Promise. It took a 5 day trip to Russia for them to adopt Camie. On their last night in Moscow, Kim started crying because she felt bad for taking Camie away from her country. Plus she had fallen in love with Russia and the people there, especially the children. Kim didn't want to leave. She was getting ready for dinner that last night when she had a "light bulb" moment... she needed to come back to Russia to help orphans with disabilities. In America she was a pediatric physical therapist, so she knew she had the skill set to help these children who desperately needed some help. She made a "promise" to come back and help.
It was very difficult to find someone to help her get into the orphanages for kids with special needs. It took 5 years to do this! While she was trying to find a way in, she was also helping her adoption agency work with families that were adopting. While in the office one day, a family called to decline their referral because the baby was going to be "a month too old when they brought her home". The agency jokingly told Kim that she should adopt this baby because she looked like her. That is all it took for Kim, and they adopted another daughter, Claira, in the summer of 2003. She was 14 months old.
While they were in Russia adopting Claira, they were bringing supplies to an orphanage that had older children. All of the kids were so excited to see them when they arrived, yelling "Mama, Papa". One little boy was very quiet though. However, he was amazed by John's video camera. He stuck by John's side the entire visit. At the end of their visit, the adoption coordinator explained that this boy was going to be available for adoption in the fall and that they needed to take his information to their agency. John and Kim looked at each other and they instantly knew they had to come back to get him. They adopted Clayton in November of 2003. This completed their family of 6. But they were, and are, far from done with Russia and the children there!
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| John and Kim's 4 children and a family friend. |
Finally in 2006, Kim read an article in Russian Life. It was written by an American woman, named Jennifer. She wrote about an NGO (Non Government Organization) that she and her husband Pavel ran in Russia. She wrote about how they worked with orphans who had disabilities. Their NGO was called Magic House. Coincidentally, I am friends with Jennifer and Pavel! Kim immediately wrote an email to Jennifer saying she wanted to come to Russia and help. Jennifer invited Kim to come and stay with her family. Kim says she jumped on a plane and went as soon as she could! Kim brought over a lot of medical equipment for the kids of Magic House. Walkers, leg braces, and other regular supplies. Kim and Jennifer quickly became friends. Jennifer is the one who introduced Kim to Maria of Maria's Children. On that trip Kim met another woman named Mary Dudley. Mary ran her own successful NGO "Dima's Dream". Mary is an American who was living in Russia because of her husband's work. All of these connections were just what Kim and John needed to get their NGO going. In 2007 Petrova's Promise officially became an NGO, and Kim and John's work began.
Another coincidence, the orphan who lost her leg was in my "family" at one of Maria's summer camps several years before she lost her leg. I remember her well too. Her name is Nadya. A cute story about Nadya... she was 8 or so when she was in my "family" at camp. We were at the dinner table eating one evening when I used my finger as a "backdrop" to scoop up some corn in my spoon. Nadya, with very little English at this time, looked at me and said "No Chip, like this"... she then proceeded to show me how to use my knife as a back drop instead of my finger! Can you imagine an 8 year old orphan teaching a "well adjusted" 36 year old man how to properly eat dinner? Well, that is exactly what happened! Kim and I met years later in NYC when Maria came over for a visit. I went to see Maria, and a few other friends. Kim came to see Maria since they were friends. I find it extraordinary that Kim and John helped a child that I had met years earlier, but we had never known that... until recently when I learned more about Kim and John's work. Crazy small world eh?!
After helping many kids in Russia, Kim and John grew frustrated. They were frustrated because when they would go back to see a particular child they had helped, he or she would be moved to a different orphanage and Kim and John would not see them again. They wanted to stay connected to the children they helped, but it was not easy. At this time Russia was banning Americans from adopting. So John and Kim came up with an idea to start a foster home in Russia. This way they could get kids, particularly kids with disabilities, into families to take care of them long term... even get them into college perhaps. That is always the goal and the dream of their organization. To get children cared for long term and give them an opportunity at college and onto a better life for themselves. That is a worthy dream and goal for sure!!
In the end, it is children like Valya that need Kim and John's help. There are too many like her to count, but it has to start somewhere. John and Kim started by purchasing an apt. in Moscow. They funded it to host children. They pay the host mother or father to take care of the children. They currently are taking care of 10 children in multiple homes. They do all of this with their own money, because as Kim told me "I don't like asking other people for help". Well, I am not afraid or ashamed to ask. So, if you are looking for a good cause to support, please support Petrova's Promise so they can expand even further and give more children a chance to shine as bright as Valya does!
Check out their website below for more information. You can contact Kim and John personally by clicking on the Get Involved icon on their website. Also, feel free to contact me of course. Please ask any questions you may have. I hope you are inspired as much as I am. Go out and make a difference in a life. Even if it is just one life, like Valya's, it is a big help.
HOME | Petrova's Promise (petrovaspromise.org)
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| Valya. What a smile and shining eyes! |
Now go Out and Hug a Child Today!!!
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