"Helping Hands"
A Service Trip for Wake Forest University students
This summer, right after exams, a group of Wake Forest undergraduates, accompanied
by a faculty advisor,
spent two weeks at an orphanage in Moscow.
There we helped
both
with the children and with the facility itself. We are excited to report that
the University administration has approved a renewal of the trip for the spring
of 2004. For more information on being a part of next year's team, contact
Mary Ellen Denton or Ronald
Bobroff.
On these pages you can see some pictures of our work and time in Russia this past summer.
On this and other pages:
As written by the student advisor for our trip, WFU senior Mary Ellen Denton with the help of WFU junior Keely Sewell, here is some information about the trip:
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Mission Statement
We wish to help rebuild trust between the West and the Russian communities through
our desire to better understand the hardships Russians face to survive. Through
our efforts to work with the children we hope to show them that Western communities
genuinely care about their welfare.
Vision
"Even from afar, the transformation now underway in the former Soviet
Union holds a special fascination for all of us, and not only because its success
or failure affects our destiny, our survival, and even the changing nature of
our own society. What is happening there rivets our interest for a deeper reason,
it is a modern enactment of one of the archetypal stories of human existence;
that of the struggle from darkness to light, poverty to prosperity, dictatorship
toward democracy. It represents an affirmation of the relentless struggle to
break free from the bonds of hierarchy and dogma, to strive for a better life,
for stronger, richer values. It is an affirmation of the human capacity for
change, growth, and renewal." (Smith, H., The New Russians, 1990, p. xxxi.)
Ultimately, we aim to better understand the hardships Russian children face as they are being raised in the post Communism era of Russian history and to gain a more worldly perspective of the positive and negative effects of both Communism and Democracy in the world today. We then desire to meet the needs of the children whether it is by constructing better facilities, providing medical supplies, tutoring, or showing them that they are not forgotten. The simple act of caring about the welfare of the children can act as a catalyst to help motivate the community to work forward toward achievable goals in their time of rebuilding since the fall of the Soviet Union. We desire to connect not just the Wake Forest student body, but also the Winston-Salem community with the children of Russia (through sponsorship of the orphanage and donations designated for medical supplies) in a long-term partnership. Upon return, we will share our new (or affirmed) perspectives on Communism, Democracy, the profound affect of political policies on the lives of children, and how using our individual talents to serve the children of Russia can facilitate the bonds of trust between our two worlds.
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We will again be engaged in raising money for two purposes.
If you would like to help, you may send a tax-deductible donation to:
Please write "Wake Forest Russia" on the memo line and please enclose a note telling us that you learned of our work from the website. |
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We travel to Russia with the help of Peacework, a nonprofit organization that has planned other service trips for Wake Forest students to a host of international destinations.
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You can find some useful links here.
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A few photos of our work:
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and after!!
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This page has been visited 1,281 times since 9 April 2003. Thanks for visiting and please tell your friends!
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This page last modified by Ronald Bobroff, the faculty advisor for last year's trip, on 24 October 2003