3/25/09 Chatterbox
Betty Kaiser
They are called “Throwaway Children” and their stories will tug at your heartstrings and bring you to tears. They are the children who live at the Dzegvi Children’s Home complex and the Telavi Children’s Home, a boarding house and school for orphans and abandoned children.
Area residents Chuck and Edythe Stromme are the children’s connection to Cottage Grove — a 9,000 mile circuitous route across continents and cultures.
The couple retired in 2001 — or so they thought – from the IRS. You may recall from a previous column that Chuck had a temporary position in the Republic of Georgia as an advisor to the ministers of finance. While there he discovered a population of abandoned children and the couple’s lives were changed forever.
Stromme tells stories of children who have arrived at the orphanage naked. No clothes at all. Others have arrived shell-shocked into silence by the horrors of the Chechnya war. Some have been abandoned multiple times. Most don’t have visitors. One young girl married at 16 and happily left the orphanage to live with a husband who promised to love her.
One of the residents is a little boy whose parents came and asked for a pair of shoes. The family of three left with shoes for the boy but returned that night and knocked on the door. This time the adults ran away, leaving the little guy standing on the doorstep of his new home.
And so it goes in a country where 54-percent of the people live below the poverty line. The orphanages had no budgeted support. Chuck and Edythe set up the Caucasus Children’s Relief Fund Inc., a valid IRS non-profit. Food, medicine and heat were their goals.
The first medical donation was from a group in Alaska to the street children at Dzegvi near Tbilisi, Georgia. The Strommes were shocked to find that the doctor’s supply cabinet contained only two boxes of Band-Aids and a bottle of Miracle-Gro fertilizer. Go figure.
In 2004 journalist Seth Mydans told the children’s story in the NY Times. He wrote of bitterly cold winters in the Telavi buildings where metal bands held the cracked walls together; of how the children ate, lived and played in small, unheated rooms and slept on cots covered by a single wool blanket. He described moldy, primitive bathrooms without hot water.
His article piqued the curiosity of author Robert Sabuda who visited the orphanage and set up www.robertsabuda.com to help support the CCR Fund. annual rummage sale, Trinity Lutheran Church, Creswell Presbyterian Church and local individuals also contribute faithfully.
As a general rule it is logistically impossible to ship goods into Georgia. Everything must be purchased in country. Otherwise things have a habit of just disappearing. But one volunteer was determined to find a way around the system. She not only found companies to contribute beds, classroom and kitchen furniture but someone to ship them. Unfortunately, that shipping source is no longer available.
A wide variety of donations have greatly improved the living standards of the children, including a new well to supply clean drinking water. School supplies, shoes, soccer uniforms, computers, sleeping bags, Beanie Babies and building supplies have all been donated. The fund pays for an English teacher, coaches, a dance and arts instructor.
Last winter, British military officers stationed in the region stopped by for a visit. Later the Brits brought two truckloads of food, supplies and warm things for the kids; they installed a kitchen stove and generously left money for lean winter months. American soldiers have also helped out.
As more people have become involved, the general health of the kids has improved. The children now have clean, basic sanitation (think showers and toilets!) and renovated dorms. The government is providing more food but health concerns remain. Edythe notes that the children smile more now and are much less withdrawn than previously.
The most pressing need is training for the older kids’ futures. Living in an institutional environment is isolating. They are ill prepared to leave the home when they finish school. More field trips, apprentice opportunities and higher education are desperately needed.
The current budget is sparse. Last year the fund provided about $14,600 in assistance with a total overhead cost of $625 for state fees, printing and postage. If my math is correct, that amounts to only about $1217.00 per month.
If you’re interested in helping, check out their website at www.ccrfund.org. Consider donating goods to the annual summer rummage sale. Cash donations may be sent to CCRFund, Inc., 610 Holly Ave., C.G., OR 97424 or telephone 541-767-2659.
The Strommes would like you to know that ALL of the money raised goes directly to Georgia. They do not take any salary or compensation — not even for travel or lodging. The money is used only to improve the lives of the children and compensate local representatives (who purchase supplies) for their time and gas.
Another resident, Andrea Hummel, is conducting a “Coats for Peace” drive for the children of Afghanistan. Jeanne Messner, a soldier stationed there, will distribute the coats, hats and gloves to children who desperately need them to survive the brutally cold winters.
So far Andrea has filled and sent 9 boxes of coats, hats and gloves for kids aged birth to middle school. (Kudos to Scott Varvel who has knitted 20 stocking caps!) The Kiwanis Club has been providing postage but checks for postage are also welcome.
This is the last month for donations to be left at the library or Better Bodies. You may call Andrea with questions at 942-4730.
No child should be a ‘throwaway.’ Caring for kids is a great way to show the world the loving and peaceful hearts of the American people. Cold, hungry and sick kids are foreign aid projects that we can all support.
Betty Kaiser’s Chatterbox is about people, places, family, and other matters of the heart. Contact her at 942-1317 or via e-mail — bchatty@bettykaiser.com
3/25/09 Chatterbox (amended)
Betty Kaiser
They are called “Throwaway Children” and their stories will tug at your heartstrings and bring you to tears. They are the children who live at the Dzegvi Children’s Home complex and the Telavi Children’s Home, a boarding house and school for orphans and abandoned children.
Area residents Chuck and Edythe Stromme are the children’s connection to Cottage Grove — a 9,000 mile circuitous route across continents and cultures. The connection has heightened our community's awareness and brought hope, heat and help to the kids in the another land.
The couple retired in 2001 — or so they thought – from the IRS. You may recall from a previous column that Chuck had a temporary position in the Republic of Georgia as an advisor to the ministers of finance. While there he discovered a population of abandoned children and the couple’s lives were changed forever.
Stromme tells stories of children who have arrived at the orphanage naked. No clothes at all. Others have arrived shell-shocked into silence by the horrors of the Chechnya war. Some have been abandoned multiple times. Most don’t have visitors. One young girl married at 16 and happily left the orphanage to live with a husband who promised to love her.
One of the residents is a little boy whose parents came and asked for a pair of shoes. The family of three left with shoes for the boy but returned that night and knocked on the door. This time the adults ran away, leaving the little guy standing on the doorstep of his new home.
And so it goes in a country where 54-percent of the people live below the poverty line and the orphanages had no budgeted support. Chuck and Edythe swung into action and set up the Caucasus Children’s Relief Fund Inc., a valid IRS non-profit. Their goals were to supply food, medicine and heat.
The first medical donation was from a group in Alaska to the street children at Dzegvi near Tbilisi, Georgia. Upon arrival, the Strommes were shocked to find that the doctor’s supply cabinet contained only two boxes of Band-Aids and a bottle of Miracle-Gro fertilizer. Go figure.
In 2004 journalist Seth Mydans told the children’s story in the NY Times. He wrote of bitterly cold winters in the Telavi buildings where metal bands held the cracked walls together; of how the children ate, lived and played in small, unheated rooms and slept on cots covered by a single wool blanket. He described moldy, primitive bathrooms without hot water.
His article piqued the curiosity of author Robert Sabuda who visited the orphanage and set up www.robertsabuda.com to help support the CCR Fund. annual rummage sale, Trinity Lutheran Church, Creswell Presbyterian Church and local individuals also contribute faithfully.
As a general rule it is logistically impossible to ship goods into Georgia. Everything must be purchased in country. Otherwise things have a habit of just disappearing. But one volunteer was determined to find a way around the system. She not only found companies to contribute beds, classroom and kitchen furniture but someone to ship them. Unfortunately, that shipping source is no longer available.
A wide variety of donations have greatly improved the living standards of the children, including a new well to supply clean drinking water. School supplies, shoes, soccer uniforms, computers, sleeping bags, Beanie Babies and building supplies have all been donated. The fund pays for an English teacher, coaches, a dance and arts instructor.
Last winter, British military officers stationed in the region stopped by for a visit. Later the Brits brought two truckloads of food, supplies and warm things for the kids; they installed a kitchen stove and generously left money for lean winter months. American soldiers have also helped out.
As more people have become involved, the general health of the kids has improved. The children now have clean, basic sanitation (think showers and toilets!) and renovated dorms. The government is providing more food but health concerns remain. Edythe notes that the children smile more now and are much less withdrawn than previously.
The most pressing need is training for the older kids’ futures. Living in an institutional environment is isolating. They are ill prepared to leave the home when they finish school. More field trips, apprentice opportunities and higher education are desperately needed to prepare them for life on the outside.
The current budget is sparse. Last year the fund provided about $14,600 in assistance with a total overhead cost of $625 for state fees, printing and postage. If my math is correct, that amounts to only about $1217.00 per month to assist in helping over 100 kids and their caregivers.
If you’re interested in helping, check out their website at www.ccrfund.org. Consider donating goods to the annual summer rummage sale. Cash donations may be sent to CCRFund, Inc., 610 Holly Ave., C.G., OR 97424 or telephone 541-767-2659.
The Strommes would like you to know that ALL of the money raised goes directly to Georgia. They do not take any salary or compensation — not even for travel or lodging. The money is used only to improve the lives of the children and compensate local representatives (who purchase supplies) for their time and gas.
Another local resident is also reaching out across the world to help kids. Andrea Hummel, is conducting a “Coats for Peace” drive for the children of Afghanistan. Jeanne Messner, a soldier stationed there, will distribute the coats, hats and gloves to children who desperately need them to survive the brutally cold winters. So far Andrea has filled and sent 9 boxes of coats, hats and gloves for kids aged birth to middle school. (Kudos to Scott Varvel who has knitted 20 stocking caps!) The Kiwanis Club has been providing postage but checks for postage are also welcome.
No child should be a ‘throwaway.’ Caring for kids is a great way to show the world the loving and peaceful hearts of the American people. Cold, hungry and sick kids are foreign aid projects that we can all support.
Betty Kaiser’s Chatterbox is about people, places, family, and other matters of the heart. Contact her via e-mail at bchatty@bettykaiser.com
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