FRO partners in Yaroslavl

Our mission relies heavily on dedicated individuals who are intimately familiar with the orphan community in Yaroslavl. In addition to our directors and advisors in the United States and Russia, FRO has established "YARBOO Friends of Russian Orphans" as our counterpart in Yaroslavl. We've also facilitated the organization of an Advisory Council that provides valuable feedback and direction to Friends of Russian Orphans.

YARBOO Friends of Russian Orphans

YARBOO Friends of Russian Orphans is the Russian partner of Friends of Russian Orphans in the United States. Originally established to provide a safe conduit through which FRO-USA could distribute funds to good causes, YARBOO has expanded its scope to become a vital advisory and decisionmaking asset in the conduct of FRO's activities. The enthusiasm and tenacity exhibited by YARBOO contributors has helped increase FRO's visibility and impact in Yaroslavl faster than we could have ever imagined.

YARBOO -- which is a Russian acronym for "Yaroslavl Charitable Regional Organization" -- is currently governed by a two-person Board of Directors. Sam Harding, president of Friends of Russian Orphans in the United States, also serves as president of the YARBOO Board of Directors (see Directors and advisors for more information about Sam).

	Svetlana Bayumova is the second member of the YARBOO Board, holding the title of vice-president. She directs the organization's activities in Yaroslavl by working closely with President Sam Harding, Executive Director Galina Evstifeeva and the YARBOO Advisory Council. Svetlana is a former assistant director of the Pyatyorka Orphanage, where YARBOO FRO is headquartered. She is responsible for authorizing and supervising the use all Advisory Council funds, and plays an active role in initiating and coordinating YARBOO programs in Yaroslavl. She receives no financial compensation for her work with YARBOO FRO. Svetlana earned her first degree in 1990 at the Yaroslavl Pedagogical University in Psychology in Preschool Education, and in 1996 she earned the title of Psychologist from the Russian Academy of Education. She worked as psychologist-pedagogue in kindergartens from 1994 to 1999, before she began her work at Pyatyorka. Svetlana now works in the Yaroslavl Oblast (region) to improve orphanages throughout the larger region. She also directs FRO's Post-Orphanage Support Program, which assists orphans after they leave their orphanages at age 18. Svetlana has a husband, who is a colonel in the Russian army, and two daughters.
	Galina Evstifeeva is the executive director of YARBOO. A retired, decorated master teacher of English and Russian, Galina taught for 33 years in Yaroslavl, where she became vice-principal and director of 19 teachers of English at the prestigious Nekrasov Special Language School for grades 1-11. She also taught in several schools in England and the USA. During her long career she arranged and directed many cultural exchanges between the three countries. She has enormous energy and broad knowledge of both the languages and cultures of Russia and the United States. Galina is the indefatigable cheerleader and workhorse of the YARBOO FRO team. With her plentiful contacts in Yaroslavl, many of whom are her former students, she is the organizer and the motivating force behind many of YARBOO's projects, such as its annual Orphanage Art Festivals, its Eyeglasses for Orphans effort, and frequent radio, TV, and newspaper features and interviews. Thanks to Galina, the people of Yaroslavl are increasingly aware of their orphan problem and of their need to participate in its solution. Galina spends endless hours coordinating and supporting the efforts of the growing number of YARBOO volunteers, including the YARBOO Advisory Council.

YARBOO Advisory Council

The long-term vision for YARBOO is to expand the group and allow it to become an organization independent of Friends of Russian Orphans sometime in the future. To make this vision become reality, an active and responsible Board of Directors will need to oversee the organization's activities. We have established the YARBOO Advisory Council as a prototype of the future Board of Directors that will govern the all-Russian YARBOO. The Advisory Council meets regularly to discuss issues relating to FRO's projects and to organize FRO-sponsored activities for the city's orphans. Read about the YARBOO Advisory Council's most recent achievements here.

This group consists of 11 local orphanage directors, business people and academic leaders -- and even a young small-business entrepreneur who is a "graduate" of a Yaroslavl orphanage. The current Advisory Council members are:

• Nathalia Barantsova (secretary): Assistant Director, Frunzensky Orphanage
• Svetlana Bayumova: Assistant Director, Pyatyorka Orphanage
• Lyubov Bolotova (chair): Director, Krasny Perekop Orphanage
• Tatyana Ivanova: Director, Center for Children's Help; Head of the Psychological/Pedagogical Commission for the Study of Orphans
• Olga Koryakovtseva: Dean of Continuing Education at the Yaroslavl Pedagogical University
• Olga Lazaryants: Biologist, Yaroslavl State University
• Elena Pshonkina: Assistant Director, Musical Orphanage
• Irina Smirnova: Assistant Director, Internat #9
• Albina Zakimatova: Retired police inspector with responsibility for juvenile crime

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