Program Background

For Russian Children

In 1997, the first Bridge of Hope program brought 13 Russian orphans to the mid-Hudson region of New York. The program has grown and spread to new regions since then, with children visiting the US each summer for the past 15 years. In winter 2010, we conducted our first winter hosting program with children from Ukraine.

Our success in finding homes for these older children is directly attributable to the hosting program, which enables families and children to spend time together before making life-long commitments.


PROGRAM AREAS
Bridge of Hope for Russian Children brings children to stay with families in Connecticut, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Mid-Hudson and Long Island, New York, Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C., Chicago and neighboring areas within a three-hour drive of BOH regions. We are committed to keeping the children in touch with each other during the summer, and we cannot supervise individual children all over the country. Therefore, we require that our host families live near a program region and commit themselves to participate in BOH activities, which include orientation, arrival and departure meetings and at least two weekend events.

We are often asked about expanding Bridge of Hope for Russian Children to other geographic areas. For this to happen, a dedicated group of volunteers would have to meet the expansion guidelines set out on our website, which include fundraising, recruitment of host families, day camp scholarships, translators, and much more.  Please contact us if you're interested in helping to start a new BOH region in your area.


ABOUT THE CHILDREN
The children participating in our hosting programs are between the ages of 6 and 13 years old and are selected by their orphanage directors as healthy, socially well adjusted, and able to handle the demands of this type of program. Host families receive a brief medical report and picture of the child or children they will host.

Most participants will be individual children, however some will be sibling groups of two. The children do not speak English, and this may be the child’s first experience in a family setting. All of the children must return to their orphanages at the program’s conclusion.

It must be noted that children born to intact functional families generally do not end up in orphanages. Most children in orphanages were born to poor families or single mothers, or they have been abandoned or were taken from birth parents due to neglect or abuse. All children are impacted by life in an institution. They will have developmental delays that may affect their speech, motor skills, cognitive functioning, and physical growth. Children may also exhibit institutional behavior such as rocking or other self-stimulating activities. However, BOH children are reported to have a good prognosis for a healthy future if provided with the love, support, and treatment they will need to overcome the challenges they've faced.


WHAT BRIDGE OF HOPE FOR RUSSIAN CHILDREN PROVIDES
Through the generosity of many donors and volunteers, we offer our summer campers an unforgettable visit to the United States to attend local summer day camps and experience life in a family setting. Children in our winter programs do not attend camp. Adult escorts accompany the children to and from the U.S. We provide health insurance to cover the cost of emergency health care needs (major medical problems such as accident or sudden illness requiring hospitalization) for each child and escort during the program. We assist host families to solicit scholarships for day camps in their vicinity. Our staff provides training, education, and support to families and children throughout the program.

FUNDRAISING, DONATIONS & VOLUNTEERS
We must raise a minimum of $5,500 per child to cover all program expenses.  Fundraising efforts and generous donations of individuals, organizations, corporations, foundations and host families will assist in this effort. Families have raised funds through church drives, candy sales, special events, employer donations and direct solicitations.

All funds raised go directly to cover the expenses of the hosting program. We have a sponsorship program for individuals, groups or corporations interested in funding the cost for one or more orphans to participate in the program. Donations of any amount are always welcome.

Host families pay a non-refundable $500 application fee at the time they submit their  application. This fee will be used to cover some of the program's expenses, including staff time, travel, translation services, postage, long distance calls, copies and faxes. Host families will also be required to pay a $2,000 - $3,000 program fee, to help cover costs associated with bringing the children to the U.S.

In addition, host families will be responsible for expenses associated with meeting the child's needs during the visit, including food, clothing, personal care items, medical or dental costs not covered by insurance and day camp tuition for summer visitors if they are unable to obtain a partial or full scholarship. Note: The hosting application fee and program fee are applied toward the expenses of the hosting program and are non-refundable.