All our Russian friends told us we would never be able to help. But through determination and a strong desire, we were able to realize our dreams of building a shelter and helping hard-core street children leave street life. |
My grandmother is a Russian immigrant and, as a child, I always dreamed of going to Russia and opening a nonprofit there. I learned Russian as a teenager through studying books in the hopes of moving there. |
This option was the only one I could find at the time and it worked out perfectly. I was able to continue to work full-time with a charity my brother and I co-founded and attend a California community college simultaneously. I was able to study at night and work during the day. |
We started working together with the city administration to help orphans. When we saw the needs of the homeless children, that is where our focus turned and continues to this day. |