The Valparaiso Humanitarian Foundation 1115 Cascade Drive Menlo Park, CA 94025 Email: jstewint@ix.netcom.com

President – Judith Stewart Vice President – Chris Hansen Secretary – Mary Jo Brimhall Treasurer – JoAnn Rogers Board of Directors – David Ellison, Marsha Gustafson, Ralph Stewart

Thanks to the heroic efforts of some 40 singers and spouses, we have established the means to bring some relief to a beleaguered people. Our goal is to aid hospitals, orphanages, and other charitable institutions in the region of Voronezh, Russia.

In the fall of 2000, the Valparaiso Singers embarked on a humanitarian journey. Our purpose was two-fold: to take much-needed medical equipment and supplies, and to deliver the Christian messages of hope, peace, and love through music. We were assisted by Svetlana Tchernyadeva, who volunteers as Director of Charities in the city of Voronezh. This remarkable woman miraculously pulled us through Russian customs with our sixty boxes of equipment and goods, which were trucked eight hours south to Voronezh while the singers stayed and performed their first concert in Moscow.

Arriving in Voronezh three days later, via a small Russian aircraft, we were taken directly to a military hospital that cares for veterans of the Chechnya war. The cargo truck was there, and our group had the privilege of unloading the boxes of equipment and presenting it to the medical staff. Their gratitude was unbelievable. “To say the hospital was shabby is perhaps an understatement,” said one of the singers. “The pharmacy and the operating room looked like something from the fifties, and the lab was about what you would find in an American high school. But the doctors and nurses stood smiling in clean, starched coats, and one sensed that they cared about their professions and their patients. It was an honor to bring them help.”

The next day our group toured a regional hospital for children, most of whom are orphans, and carried in dozens of boxes filled with clothing, small quilts, toys, and hospital linens. We found the rooms clean, but terribly shabby and ill equipped. Once again, the appreciation and gratitude was overwhelming.

Besides singing at the local LDS church, the Valparaiso Singers combined with the Blagovest Choir in a public concert. A music exchange had taken place earlier between directors, and both choirs learned pieces in the other’s language. We learned a lovely Rachmaninoff Vesper, and they joined us on an American spiritual.

The singers all paid their own travel expenses, but many people, businesses, and churches generously donated goods and contributed toward the purchase of the medical equipment. We are indebted to many for making this life-changing experience possible. On the flight home, we agreed not to let this opportunity end with our return. We found a people with a tremendous need who are unbelievably grateful, and in the past four years we have made a difference in their lives.

Since our tour, we have:

· provided medical journals for a neonatal hospital

· supplied a children’s hospital with a computer

· purchased new beds and linens for an oncology hospital

· bought sewing machines for a church auxiliary

· covered various medical treatments for needy families

· brought Christmas to a local orphanage

The Russian government is so horribly corrupt, suppressing the economy to the point that people can barely exist. Svetlana has proven to be a true friend and ally, and funds sent to her are used directly for the purchase of medical supplies and equipment. She often travels to Moscow and even Germany to find the needed items, all at her own expense.

The Valparaiso Humanitarian Foundation is a true non-profit organization. There is no overhead, either here or in Russia. Membership is only $10 per year. Larger donations are warmly encouraged, all tax deductible. Checks can be mailed to:

The Valparaiso Humanitarian Foundation

1115 Cascade Drive

Menlo Park, CA 94025

Email: jstewint@ix.netcom.com