Caucasus
Children's Relief Fund (CCRFund) was begun in order to help orphans
and other disadvantaged children in the Caucasus region of the
world. Our first project was assistance to the Dzegvi Children's
Home complex not far from the city of Tbilisi, the capital of
the nation of Georgia. The Dzegvi complex consists of a main
orphanage with about 65 kids, a satellite home with 10 more children
in the nearby village of Kasani and 15 more young adults in several
transitional living homes in Bediani village, further away.
By
supporting Dzegvi Orphanage, CCRFund also helps support a free
soup kitchen in Tbilisi which is run by the Dzegvi staff. After
Seth Mydans’ NY Times article in January, 2004, we were
contacted by the US embassy in Tbilisi and asked if we would
handle the donations and inquiries that were generated by the
article. Of course we would. That was the beginning of our relationship
with the children and staff at the Telavi Children’s home
in Telavi, Georgia.
We're
an American charity with headquarters in the small town of Cottage
Grove, Oregon. It is the dream of a few Georgian and American
friends who realized that, working together, they could make
a difference in the lives of some needy children.
Corporate
Donors Listing Added:
Please
take a look at the newly added lising of our Corporate Benefactos.
We're so grateful for what they've given to the children.
Special Note:
We've
had a number of inquiries about donations and most of those questions
we've attempted to answer discreetly on our "Contact
or Donate"
link. There have been a number of people who've asked if we accept
gifts via PayPal and so we've now made that available.
For
those of you who have responded so graciously, please accept
our thanks in behalf of the children of Telavi.
Sincerely,
Edythe Stromme
Spring 2011
Spring
2011
Rummage Sale Invitation! The Caucasus Children's Relief fund annual rummage sale is back and we need your help.
Saturday, June 18th Where:
At the corner of River Road and Holly Avenue, Cottage Grove, Or.
When:
Sale: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Set-up: 6:30 a.m. to 9 a.m.
Donations Needed: Books, Clothes, Furniture, Games, Toys, Tools, Kitchenware, etc.
Volunteers Needed for: Sorting, Pricing, Set-up, Hauling items from Storage Unit to Sale Site, Setting up Tables, Staffing During Sale, Break Down and Clean Up After Sale.
All proceeds from the sale will be used to support CCRFund, Inc. and their work at the Telavi orphanage in the country of Georgia.
Call Edythe or Chuck at: 541-767-2659 to Volunteer.
Edythe
Stromme
Letters
from Telavi . . .
We're
starting something brand new on our website - Pen
Pal Letters from Telavi. We'll be including
photos, names and a copy of letters from the children
of Telavi to children here in the states. These
letters are a result of letters sent to Telavi
by members of Merlyn's church, Trinity Lutheran
Church in Cottage Grove, Oregon. That is why they
are addressed to specific names.
Merlyn
accompanied Edythe to Georgia in October, 2007,
and delivered the letters in person. Some of them
are quite charming but in any case it will be good
to see some of the children's faces and see how
well they are learning English. This is thanks
to the fact that CCRFund pays for an English teacher
to work with the kids at Telavi.
"We
ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a
drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less
because of that missing drop."
--
Mother Teresa!
Press
Release
Levan in Georgia
"Telavi
Update"
"Hello
Dear Edythe and Chuck,
Everybody
here asks me about you (Aleko, Dodo, Beso, all kids in
the orphanage).You won't recognize them, they grow so
fast.
I
visited Telavi last Saturdy. Irma was sick (Heart problems),
but thanks God she's well now.
My previous visit, Judo and Football coachs asked me to
buy Judo uniforms and balls, which I did and delivered
last saturday (you can see photos).
I'm
so proud about our kids, we have two champions and football
team took second place in regional tournament.
This time I couldn't see Tamuna, she's doing well (as Dodo
says), time to time visits English lessons.She expects
baby late spring (if I'm not wrong).
There are 63 kids left at the Orphanage. Everytime I visit
Telavi less and less kids I meet there, you remember our
first visits how many kids were surrounding us.
As
you know, many of them were adopted in Kakheti families
(as a State Programme).
At the end of the day, I bought (as usual)
some food (chiken, sugar, flour, rice, oil, fat cookies
and many, many things), In January, I bought medicines
(mostly antibiotics and cough) for around 400 lari, half
of the kids were sick, some of them with H1N1 virus, but
right now all of them are fine.
I'm
still unemployed, the project (Swiss NGO) where I worked,
closed in December. Now I'm in the line of thousands of
jobless people, but I'm looking for the job, so we'll see.
That's it my friends for now, say hello to Lisa, Luke and
all people I know.
Love
and hugs, Levan . . .
"Edythe
Stromme"
"The
Guys!"
"What
a Selection"
Telavi
Orphanage and Boarding School
Our Trip Video Report
Edythe
Stromme and Merlyn
White visited Georgia to meet with CCRF's Georgian
staff and friends. They visited Telavi and Dzegvi
to review progress and assess current needs.
Merlyn
has created a video of that visit and it is now
available through YouTube.
It
is titled "Telavi Orphanage and Boarding
School" but includes pictures from Dzegvi.
The musical accompaniment is a folk song called "Suliko" sung
by the Red Army Choir.
Please
click (it takes TWO clicks to get started) and
enjoy Merlyn's moving creation.
Telavi
Orphanage and Boarding School Assisting
orphans and abandoned children in the nation of Georgia.
610
Holly Avenue
Cottage Grove, Or. 97424
Phone: 541/767-2659
