Eastern European Culture Camp 2008

On Saturday, October 4th, WHFC hosted its 3rd Eastern European Culture Camp at Marlborough High School. It was a gorgeous fall day and we generated an even larger crowd than last year. Fifty-four adoptive families from across New England and New York came to network with each other and celebrate their Eastern European heritage.

The day began with family-building activities where attendees created family shields and played fun games. Next up were separate workshops for children, teens and parents.

Children were divided into small groups by age and explored the Superheroes of Eastern European Folktales. The children read stories, acted made headdresses or warrior helmets.

The teen group had a great day sharing stories and listening to Eastern European pop music. One of the teens shared her story and photos of a recent trip to her birth-country of Moldova and some very fruitful and interesting conversations ensued. The teens also made fleece scarves and blankets, which will be donated to the Negino Orphanage in the Bryansk region of Russia.

Fran Flynn, magician extraordinaire, entertained the children and teens with his thrilling magic after lunch and ended his show with the magical appearance of a live rabbit!

Parents were able to attend two workshops of their choice that spanned topics including answering difficult questions from your child, sensory issues, advocating for children in school, homeland travel and a cultural Q&A.

In the afternoon, nearly 20 additional "PREVIEW families", whose children were too young to participate in the full camp, joined in on the fun and enjoyed some basic crafts and networking.

A cultural marketplace of vendors was also open to families and included Barefoot Books, Children of the World and a delicious bake sale by the Russian Orthodox Church of Framingham. Several info booths were set up as well: FRUA - NE, International Student Exchange and WHFC Post Adopt & Humanitarian Aid. Through donations at the time of registration and our raffle, we were able to raise $245 for WHFC's humanitarian aid efforts.

The day ended with stunning performances by Zolotyj Promin, The Ukrainian Dance Ensemble of Hartford, CT. The group of middle and high school age dancers wowed the audience with several traditional dances in beautiful, authentic costumes.

Families were also really excited with a visit from one of our former Eastern Europe program coordinators, Masha Korsunsky!

We'd like to extend our deepest thanks to the numerous staff and volunteers who made this day possible!

Children's Program Coordinator: Ms. Yulia Stone

Children's Program Counselors: Tiana Baker, Cathy Brown, Maureen Brown, Cindy Geraghty, Meagan Gorman, Nick Komissarov, Cat Landrigan, Katie Landry, Dominique Miles, Vica Nikitina, Andrei Rjevskii, Alicia Sawyer, Liz Terziyski

Teen Program Counselors: Kate Engle & Debbie Mansfield

Parent Workshop Presenters: Kim Bernstein, Jennifer Gavin, Pat Hoopes, Jean Lyons Martens, Vica Nikitina, Ann Ronhock, Karen Scoon, Deb Shrier, Nancy Thompson

PREVIEW facilitators & "behind the scenes" helpers: Renee & Kayleigh Audette, Barb Drotos, Michelle Gauthier, Janice Hoffman, Christine Millette, Ann Rankowitz, and everyone listed above!

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