To Russia With Love

T

ouched by the plight of infants living in Russian orphanages, a Newtown flight attendant is on a crusade to bring them vitamins, formula, non-prescription medications, and clothing.

Her humanitarian efforts are difficult, however, because items she declares at customs in Moscow would be confiscated, and would never get to the orphanages. So she quietly transports them into Russia in her luggage and gives them to a representative of a US adoption agency, who delivers them to orphanages.

“It’s quite corrupt [in Russia],” the flight attendant – who wishes to remain anonymous – explained. “The [criminal element] is in control. Anything I brought in would be confiscated and sold on the black market. So I bring the items inside my bags, which aren’t searched.”

Her personal crusade began several years ago when she saw the infants that US couples had adopted and were bringing home on her flights. “The babies didn’t look healthy. They were undersized,” she said. “The orphanages get the equivalent of $70 a month to feed 120 children. So I decided that I needed to do something. I bring [infant] formula and vitamins in, as well as clothing.”

Having been a flight attendant for more than 30 years, with her own children and those of her friends now grown, she realized she needed to get the word out into the Newtown community to get help. There was an immediate response.

“Don Bates at The Drug Center is the nicest man,” she said. “He gives me the vitamins and won’t take any money. My friends, who are now grandparents, told their children and they are helping. There are so many people who have helped – Don Bates, William Biesel, Laurie Gavel and her mother, Laura Carpenter and her mother Terri Naples, Agnes Reilly, Carol Garbarino, Linda Glover, just to mention a few. Kathy Latowicki’s husband is a dentist and donated toothbrushes and toothpaste.”

“Many other people have donated baby clothes or money for me to buy vitamins and baby aspirin and formula,” she said. “I can only take what I can fit in my suitcase so I don’t take super large quantities, but I have been told that everything is helping. Daniel Needham, who is in Moscow with the Happy Families adoption agency of Long Island, N.Y., picks up the donations and sends them to an orphanage that is an hour flight from Moscow.”

In an email from Moscow to The Bee, Daniel Needham described the work of his agency and the assistance provided by the Newtown flight attendant.

“Our Agency, Happy Families International Center, Inc., is an adoption agency based in Cold Spring, N.Y.,” he said. “We have been placing children from Eastern Europe into loving American homes for almost seven years. We have been involved in many other humanitarian aid programs aimed at helping the situation of some of these children. One of them is soliciting donations of clothing, vitamins, and other pharmaceuticals which would benefit these children.”

“[The Newtown flight attendant] came to me on one of the many flights I was making to Russia when she found out that I was involved in helping orphaned children,” Mr Needham said. “She has been soliciting donations from the local pharmacy, and they have been more than generous, as well as other individuals who have infants’ clothing in new or nearly new condition they are willing to donate. We truly appreciate all of her efforts in these donations, but more importantly her seeing to it that the donations arrive in Russia is the most important step. Logistics has been our biggest problem, actually getting the donations here. We think that [the flight attendant’s] project is very valuable, and we have seen how much the children have benefited from her work. It does not take very much to impact the lives of less fortunate children, and she has done so much already.”

What orphanages need the most are children’s vitamins to help bolster their immune systems, Mr Needham said. “They also need such things as infant and children’s Tylenol, baby shampoo, treatments for dry skin, scabies, and lice. Of course, clothing in good condition and soft shoes or booties are always very much appreciated, and leggings as well.”

The flight attendant agreed that logistics has been a problem, especially within Russia. “Happy Family had to get boxes to ship the items from Moscow,” she said. “That was very difficult. It’s not like in the United States where you can easily find sources for such things. They asked if I could provide boxes. There was no way, but eventually they found some.”

“Before I met Happy Families, I would give clothing to people who were on their way to adopt a baby, and ask them to bring it to the orphanage,” she said.

The flight attendant would like to make contact with pharmaceutical companies who might be willing to make donations for the orphanages. There will be a canister for donations at The Drug Center. Donors also can contact Don Bates at donaldbates@hotmail.com.

“This is a terrific cause and people in Newtown can help,” Lara Carpenter said. “One of my friends adopted a baby from Russia that was 10 months old but only weighed nine pounds. And there are a lot of people out there with baby clothes stored in their basements,” she added.

Donations of clothing can be made by calling Lara Carpenter at 426-6265, Laurie Gavel at 270-8177, both in Newtown, and Sandi Czaplicke at 426-0866 in Sandy Hook.

 “Babies wear an item of clothing about three times and then outgrow it. This is a wonderful way to let another child get some use out of it,” Terri Naples said.

Daniel Needham said tax-deductible cash contributions for the orphanages also can be made by contacting the Happy Families office at 845-265-9272. The email address is hfickids@aol.com and the Web site is www.happyfamilies.org. The agency is located at 3 Stone St, Cold Spring, NY 10516. “We will see to it that any donations will reach their intended destinations,” Mr Needham said.

He also encouraged the flight attendant to continue her humanitarian work.

“All of us are very happy and proud of the work [she] is doing,” Mr Needham said. “She certainly has made a difference in the lives of many children, as well as their caretakers. If everyone would do just a little bit, we can make this world a much better place for everyone.”