The St. Petersburg Orphanage fund was created in 2004 by a group of like-minded adoptive parents with a common desire to offer on-going support to children within the orphanages their adopted children knew as their first home. With the communication and organizational help of Arna Bronstein and Aleksa Fleszsar from Slavic Consulting and Translating in New Hampshire, a group of adoptive parents were identified who shared the desire to reach out to their children's orphanages. By November, Donna Rusinak and Bill Franson, adoptive parents to four year old Sergei in 2001, organized the highly successful kickoff fund raising event Polka Dance Party! and in early 2005 the Fund, hearing that clothes were being washed by hand at Orphanage #6, was able to purchase and install an industrial washing machine there. By the end of the year the Fund was again able to reach out and provide indoor play structures, play furniture,and toys. In the fall of 2006 we responded to a request from Orphanage #8, an orphanage for older children, to help purchase two computer systems. Older children in the Russian orphanages are less likely to be adopted than infants and toddlers, and once they leave the system receive little support or respect. Our hope is that the children in Orphanage #8 will acquire valuable training in computer operation, providing them marketable skills in preparation for their transition into Russian society.

The St. Petersburg Orphanage Fund receives its non-profit status through affiliation with the Florence Crittenton League of Lowell, an adoption agency with active accreditation in Russia. Communication with the St. Petersburg orphanages is maintained by the resident St. Petersburg adoption facilitator Galina Losevskaja.

For further information on the Florence Crittenton League please see their link under Resources.

Bill Franson is the principal administrator of the Fund. He is assisted by his wife Donna Rusinak. Web hosting was generously donated and provided by Warren Nash at Wozzaworks.