Published Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Helping children focus of Kiev Kiwanis Club

By Sarah Fay Campbell

The Newnan Times-Herald

Kiwanis clubs help children all over the world. On Tuesday, members of the Newnan Kiwanis Club heard from the president of the Kiwanis Club of Kiev, Ukraine.

The Kiev club was formed in 2007 after Lora Pavlenko, now club president, spoke with a Kiwanis member during a trip to Florida.

For much of the presentation, Pavlenko's daughter, Renata, translated for her mother.

Lora's husband, Val Pavlenko, is the pastor of a non-denominational church in Kiev. During a trip to the U.S., he was speaking about the work that the family and the church do with homeless children in Ukraine.

After the church service, a church member, who is also a Kiwanian, came up to the Pavlenkos. She told the Pavlenkos she felt they did really good work, and that it was exactly the kind of work Kiwanis clubs do. She asked if there was a club in Ukraine.

"We said we don't know," but they told her they would check when they got home, Pavlenko said. They discovered there was not a Kiwanis Club in Ukraine, but they learned much about Kiwanis and liked that it tried to "make a beautiful world for children."

The Kiwanian from Florida helped the Pavlenkos get their club started. She even visited Ukraine for the club's first meeting.

"For us, it is new, and we are trying to learn more about the club," Pavlenko said. At the first meeting, there were 60 people. But many of those became "people on the list" after the first meeting. The club currently has about 20 active members.

There are also approximately 20 youth who work closely with the club. The club is a young club, with many members in their 20s. There are only two members over the age of 55.

"Younger people can do a lot. They have energy," Pavlenko said. The club is very active, doing a lot of work with children. The club doesn't have much money to give, "but we can help children with everything," she said. Club members have helped paint orphanages and continue to do similar work, and the club has several programs to serve children.

The club works with homeless children, autistic children, and children in orphanages.

The Newnan Kiwanis Club recently donated $1,000 to the club for its Christmas program.

The Kiev club was able to use that donation and serve more than 600 children, Pavlenko said. Club members bought boxes with candies and small toys for each child.

"We are really grateful to your club" for the donation, Pavlenko said. "It was really a great help."

She told a story of one young lady in the orphanage whom they had delivered gifts to. "We saw this girl, she was crying. And we didn't understand why she was crying. Maybe she didn't like the toys," Pavlenko said.

So they went and asked her what was wrong. The girl was crying because it was the first present anyone had ever given her.

The club does its work with the children to "help the children understand that they are important to somebody," she said. "We try to tell the children they are not trash. That we, and a lot of people, care about these children and they must grow up in happiness and have a great future," she said.

There are many teachers in the club, and there are also doctors and people from other walks of life.

"The Kiwanis Club is a great club because we can get together with all the people who want to work with children. It's not a matter of what they do or of what religion they are," she said. "There is only one goal -- to care about the kids. And we are really glad that we are a part of the Kiwanis family."

The club is hoping to start a second club in Ukraine, this one about two hours from Kiev, the capital.

The Pavlenkos were asked how they raise money for their club.

Some members make jewelry that the club sells. The club has also held exhibitions of art done by the children the club assists.

"We don't do it like you do here, with lunches and pancakes," Pavlenko said. "Because in Ukraine, people don't spend money on such things."

Many of the club members have very little money, which is why the club does a lot of hands-on work.

"If some orphanage needs help ... they just call us and we can do all kinds of work," she said.

The Pavlenkos are visiting a few Georgia clubs as part of their trip to the U.S. When the club first got started, Pavlenko began corresponding with Newnan Kiwanis Club member Don Chapman, and the family has been staying with the Chapmans since Thursday.

"He is a very fun man... he likes jokes, I understand," said Pavlenko, which was greeted with laughter by the club members, who are quite familiar with Chapman's joking ways. The Pavlenkos will be visiting the Thomasville, Ga., club, today and will continue traveling to Jacksonville, Fla., where they will see friends and reconnect with the Kiwanian who got the whole thing started.